This Little Chickie
by Lady Nosila
Summary: Laxus drags Lucy on a mission with him. Begins between the Tower of Heaven and Fantasia incidents.
1. Chapter 1: So It Begins

_**This Little Chickie**_

_Inspired By: Hiro Mashima's "Fairy Tail"_

_Chapter One: So It Begins_

After a full six days of quarantining herself away in her apartment due to a severe case of the flu, Lucy was well and eager to return to her friends at Fairy Tail. So eager in fact, that she took a quarter of the time she normally used to get ready in the morning. She had a lightning-quick shower, only half-dried her hair before tying it back, and only spent thirty seconds choosing her outfit for the day. Not bothering to put on make-up since she didn't really need it anyway (she was beautiful either way), she slipped into the comfy light-blue shorts and a plain white T-shirt that she had selected. Compared to her normal choice of attire, that day she looked casual and comfortable. Looking in her mirror half-heartedly, Lucy decided that it wasn't a bad look either. Lucy pulled a pair of flat sandals onto her feet before attaching her keys onto her belt and heading out the door, a piece of toast shoved between her teeth.

Her friends and she had been deciding to go on a job since they were all starting to run low on cash when Lucy caught a violent case of the flu. For three days they had taken turns visiting her, checking to see how she was doing. On the fourth day, Natsu and Happy where completely broke, Gray was forced to survive off of Juvia's offerings of boxed lunches (Juvia had come over to brag to Lucy), and Erza had only a hundred Jewels left to her name. Lucy urged them not to wait for her to get better and to just go do a job. Though she was running extremely low on funds too, she had been raised to be able to manage money well. She could survive until she was healthy again.

After a short debate between Lucy, Erza, and Gray, Gray teamed up with an ecstatic Juvia and went off while Erza dragged Natsu and Happy to do a job with her (Natsu had refused to leave a sick comrade behind, but Lucy had begged Erza to just take him. He needed more cash than any of them). Now, two days later, Lucy was as fit as a fiddle once more and in desperate need of a job. She doubted any of her friends were back yet, so she would have to do one on her own. Something simple and not dangerous.

Lucy arrived at the newly built Fairy Tail's large doors and stopped to catch her breath. Running felt nice after laying in bed for six days, but she was out of shape and still rather weak from the severity of her illness. Lucy straightened up and walked through the door and into the place she saw as her true home.

As usual, the place was loud and lively. The sight of her fellow guild members laughing, arguing, drinking, and eating brought a smile to her lips. Calls of greetings and congratulations on her recovery filled her ears when everyone noticed her. She waved and responded to the questions of how she was feeling.

"I feel a whole lot better than I did before, thank you." Lucy said. She waved and gladly accepted pats on her back and head. Pride and joy about being with her family once more swelled in her chest.

Just as she had guessed, Lucy could tell that Natsu, happy, Gray, Erza, and Juvia had yet to return just by the lack of things being smashed up, so she decided to talk to Mirajane about what she might be able to do.

""Hey Mira." Lucy said sliding onto a stool at the bar. "Can I just have water? My throat is kind of soar from all of…"

"Your puking? Sure thing Lucy; I'm just glad you're feeling better. When happy said you couldn't go ten minutes without throwing up, I have to say you had everyone worried." The older girl said filling a glass with water and placing it before Lucy. Lucy chuckled awkwardly. Happy kind of exaggerated about the throwing up part, but it wasn't important. "And the day you got sick Laxus came back in a bad mood from the mission he had been on for the past month and he's been stirring things up…so for the past few days everyone has been even more on edge. Before Natsu and the others left on their missions, they kept falling for that jerks bait. I can't count how many times Natsu was zapped. When Erza lost her temper, we lost ten tables! If Master hadn't been here to stop them, I think a real nasty would have broken out. With you back in good health though, now we can all worry about one less thing." Mirajane said leaning on the bar, a slight smile pulling at her lips.

Lucy had only seen Laxus Dreyar a few times, and those few occasions had revealed him to be an arrogant, vulgar jerk that she didn't really care for, even though he was part of her "family" too. Not to mention how, if he was anything like his grandfather, he was probably a pervert as well. With the Master though, she didn't mind since he was more of a comical one instead of a big, creepy one she imagined his grandson to be. Not like she would really know though; she had only seen him a few times and never really spoke to him.

"I'm glad to be back too. I really missed Fairy Tail. Sorry to have worried everyone."

"Hahaha! You already said all that three times, Lucy! It's all-fine now. Now…I hear you're running low on cash."

"Yeah." Lucy said nodding. "I don't know when the others will be back so I need a job I can handle on my own. Do you have any suggestions, Mira?"

"Well…there is the usual cheap ones; deliver packages, find lost pets…but I do recall a criminal bounty one. It has decent pay: 100,000 Jewels to catch a common thief." Mirajane pulled a flyer out from behind the bar. "I was kind of saving it for you."

"That doesn't sound too bad!" Lucy chipped. She could handle a common thief. "I'll ta-"

"No you won't. I have an even better job for you chickie." The sudden voice from right behind her surprised Lucy to the point of screaming and falling off the stool.

"Wha…?" Lucy gasped turning to see the self-proclaimed best wizard in the guild standing behind her. She hastily climbed to her feet, aware of every pair of eyes in the guild focused on her and the man before her. He was tall, taller than she thought he'd be…at least a foot taller than her. His wild blond hair and the spiked headphones for his SoundPod made him out to be a punk kid. However, the long-since healed scar on the right side of his face along with the massive muscles that made up his body proved that he was in fact a man that just didn't care about anyone's opinion or pleasure other than his own. Considering how powerful he was rumored to be, Lucy supposed that he had the bite to back up his bark, and that his arrogance was not really a surprise.

"What do you mean Laxus? What can you possibly need Lucy for?" Mirajane asked, her eyes narrowed and her voice warningly low, as if she was holding back a scream.

"That is between the girl and me." He said then cast a glare at the curious onlookers. The moment his eyes landed on the crowd, they immediately turned back to what they had been doing before Lucy's scream had drawn their attention. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Lucy once more, who found him to be too close with the barely a two foot distance between them. She inched away, trying to look nonchalant about it, but failing with the fearful expression on her face. Though she found his personality to be very off-putting, she understood the massive difference in power between them and could not help but fear and (oddly enough) respect him. Not even the knowledge that they were guild mates could help her relax when he made his presence known.

"I have a little proposition for you chickie." He said, a smirk crossing his face at the sight of the girl trying to look as small as possible. She opened her mouth and a small squeak escaped. Mirajane however, was not scared and was determined to look out for Lucy.

"Laxus, leave Lucy alone. She just recovered from the flu and the worst thing for her right now is to be bullied by you. Go find someone else to help you with that job." She said, a glimmer of her former self-shining through her pretty-dumb-girl mask. With her sister figure at her back, Lucy gained a little courage…enough to straighten up and to cease her cowering. That quickly ended the moment he spoke again though.

"Shut up. I've waited for her to get her weak-ass back here for a week. I'm not going to accept no as an answer. You're coming along girl." He said with a glare.

"The Master…" Mirajane began but was cut off.

"That old fart can't do anything, so why don't you go back to cleaning and serving like you're meant to."

"Laxus…" Mirajane snarled, but he paid her no attention and instead grabbed Lucy's arm and proceeded to drag her through the guild and out the door. As she was dragged past, Lucy felt a mixture of sympathetic and apologetic stares land on her and she didn't blame her guild mates for not sacrificing themselves in an attempt to rescue her. Only the stupid or freakishly strong could even think about challenging the guy, especially when he was radiating aggravation like he was at that moment.

"Now listen up…go pack whatever you need, but keep it light. Anything more than a small travel bag and it's going out the window. Meet me at the train station. You have fifteen minutes. If you're smart and do exactly as I tell you, you will come back unharmed and a hell of a lot richer. Now get going." He said shoving her in the direction of her home (how he knew was something Lucy did not want to know).

"Y-yes sir!" Lucy squeaked and rushed off toward her apartment without looking back. Her mind was blank until she opened her door and dove into the charming atmosphere of her place. She leaned her back against the door and let it all sink in. What on earth could he need her for? He was an S-class wizard for crying out loud. What good could she possibly be? Now that she was away from him, she considered not going, and flat-out refusing to accompany him, but deep down she knew that there was nothing she could do. If she put up a fight, who knows what he would do to her.

Knowing she couldn't waste time for her own sake, Lucy pushed off the door and proceeded to pack. She chose plain pajamas, determined to look as non-sexy as she could on the trip. She chose plain clothes, simple, comfortable and the total opposite of what she usually wore (she basically packed the clothes she used when cleaning her house or when she was sick). She packed her sneakers, toothpaste, toothbrush and other necessities and managed to fit everything in a travel pack. "Keep it light" he had said. Well…she did. Once she was done, she double-checked her keys then headed for the train station; the anxiety over what was to come left her wishing she was still sick.


	2. Chapter 2: It Just Got Worse

_Thank you for the reviews everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

_Chapter Two: It Just Got Worse_

The train ride that day was the most awkward moment in Lucy's entire life. She had met Laxus at the station just as she was told; he was easy to spot with the coat hanging from his shoulders and the headphones over his ears. He was lounging on a bench, clearly off in his own little world, his head nodding slightly to the music's beat. She stood waiting for him to notice her presence on his own since she was too scared to draw it to her purposely.

As she waited, her body fidgeting and switching her weight from foot to foot, Lucy's eyes remained locked on him; wondering once more what he could possibly need her for. Her eyes observed much before he opened up his own to see her. His messy, blond hair was kept relatively short, probably as a way to keep it somewhat tamed, and looked incredibly soft. He wore a dark blue button-up shirt and black pants tucked into armored boots. Over his shoulders a brown fur-lined overcoat was draped. His SoundPod hung from his brown leather belt and the headphones covered his ears. The guy was…unique, and rather good looking, Lucy supposed now that she wasn't blinded by fear. One thing remained a mystery though: his eyes. She found herself wondering what color his eyes were and had the sudden urge to find out, but chased the thought away with a shake of her head. To discover his eye color she would have to ask or actually look him in the eye, and Lucy felt that she wasn't capable of doing either of those things. He scared her just too much.

Lucy let out a long sigh, and oddly enough, that was enough for him to open his eyes. In truth, he had known she was there since the moment she arrived, but the feel of her eyes on him intrigued him. Though he knew it was to size him up, not check him out, he figured it was step in the right direction. He let her observe him, let her become a little more relaxed around him until she wasn't blinded by fear. Her fear was refreshing; made him feel even more powerful, but it was also off-putting. There was point lusting after a girl that passed out in fear whenever he came within two feet of her. Let her get over her fear so he could get on top of her and…

The song suddenly ended leaving him with the annoying sounds of the station. When a soft sigh escaped the female before him and he opened his eyes. The moment his gaze fell on her, she quickly looked away and fidgeted as if she was fighting the urge to flee. He smirked and stood up.

Lucy could sense him towering over her. His size alone was intimidating, but that scar and attitude only made him all the more over-bearing.

"Alright chickie…time to get going." He said in an amused tone, his hand waving to indicate she was to board the train first. She rushed ahead and waited for him to choose the seats. Of course he chose the window seat, his body totally relaxed and his eyes full of amusement when she sat opposite him but next to the isle; as far from him as possible without going to another booth.

They were silent when the train began to move and remained so for about half an hour, though Lucy could swear it felt like forever. She finally gathered up the nerve to speak.

"S-so…what is the job?" She asked with her gaze focused on her lap. When there was no response, she looked up at the man to see that he was listening to his music again and staring out the window, watching the land pass by. She knew the volume wasn't loud enough to drown out her voice completely. She knew he had heard her and was simply ignoring her. Lucy hated to be ignored, so she tried again.

"What's the job?" She asked louder, a hint of her annoyance adding an edge to her tone. A small smirk presented itself on his face and he reached into his coat and pulled out a paper. Without even glancing her way, he tossed it at her, making her scramble to catch it. She noticed him crank up the sound so he really wouldn't be able to hear her then continue to stare out the window. Lucy huffed then turned to the crinkled up flyer in her hand.

Lucy smoothed the flyer out, first observing the large bold print that read "_Escort Wanted_". Smaller print underneath the heading gave the description of the job.

"_Escort/ Bodyguard request from Duke Sawarr. Safely escort the Duke from Junelle Townhouse in Oshibashi to the Junelle Family Estate. Expecting assassination attempt by Skull Tears Assassination Guild. Requirements include: If a team, may include up to three members. One must be a beautiful female, preferable between the ages of 18 and 25. Overall members must have at least 10 successful S-class quests completed. To accept offer, meet Head Bodyguard Toto Carral at Junelle Town House in Oshibashi between 1:00pm-5:00pm. Ask for "Uncle Toto" at the front gate and show guild stamps to guards."_

Lucy stared with distaste at the flyer. That horrid little toad Sawarr Junelle was the one behind this! In a way, he was also behind the attack on Fairy Tail not too long ago too. If he had not shown interest in Lucy, her father would have let her stay "lost" and wouldn't have bothered to wonder where she was. The mere memory of Sawarr Junelle leering at her made her skin crawl. The town of Oshibashi wasn't exactly a good sign for her either.

It was there that the Dark Guild Eisenwald had taken up base before attempting to murder all of the Guild masters, including Fairy Tail's own Master Markarov. Natsu and the others had beaten them all up of course, but it was still not a pleasant association to the city. At least she knew what the job would be now though: to look as pretty as she could for the toad while Laxus did all the work. What could possibly have made Laxus choose this mission out of all the ones available through...? Then she saw. Lucy stared at the small numbers at the bottom of the page with shock and realization. She blinked, not completely believing her eyes. 500,000,000 Jewels it said. Five Hundred. Million. Jewels.

Lucy slumped in her seat, forgetting the man only a few feet away. It was insane. That amount from the Junelle family? They had always been rather stingy when it came to cash, always trying to cheat a little more into their pockets. Was the Skull Tears Assassination Guild that scary? The name did make it sound like an illegal guild, but Lucy had never heard it before.

After a moment Lucy realized that they could be going up against and entire guild of skilled of assassins all by themselves. Well…Laxus would be. Lucy had a feeling that she would be shoved into a carriage with the Duke of touchy-feely while he wiped them all out. Risking a glance at him, she came to the conclusion that he could too. Maybe even easily. He saw this as super-easy money and that was why he had been willing to wait for her to recover. The other girls in the guild such as Mirajane, Cana, and Erza would refuse, but he knew that she, Lucy, was too scared to. He took advantage of her!

Lucy felt her temper flare, but quickly reined it back in; it wouldn't be smart to pick a fight with the jerk, no matter how tempted she may be.

At that moment her anger had filled her completely, but after five minutes, Lucy wanted to go home so badly that she felt like crying. She wanted nothing to do with the guy on the train with her or the one they were going to be employed under. It wasn't fair!

Laxus listened to his music, the volume cranked all the way up and his face pointed toward the window, but his attention was focused on the girl, his temporary partner. He kind of liked the idea of her following him around. Normally he wouldn't even give a job that required him to work with another a second glance, but since she was just the distraction to keep the Duke out of his hair while he earned himself a nice big stash of cash, it wasn't a big deal. This job didn't hurt his image of being the biggest bad-ass Fairy Tail had to offer even though it required him to take the girl along. No biggie. She was something to look at while he worked. Even in her loose shorts and T-shirt he could still admire her perfect curves. Not to mention how expressive she was; he watched her expression go from curious to disgusted, to realization, then shock (he guessed she noticed the payment amount), then to thoughtful, fear, realization again, then anger, and finally depression. She was terribly entertaining to watch.

Lucy sighed and shook herself out of her stumper. She may not be an S-class mage, but she wasn't defenseless either. She could handle the toad Sawarr Junelle as she always had: with cold indifference, but without being completely rude in the process. It did not matter if he recognized her or not, she was a member of Fairy Tail and she was sure her father had told him to look elsewhere for a wife. So there was nothing to worry about.

When the train finally came to a stop at the Oshibashi Station, Lucy was certain that the stress of the ride had aged her; she felt as if she had reached her wits end. Laxus, however, after having managed to take a nap between admiring Lucy's physique and flat-out observing her reactions and expressions on and off, felt refreshed and in a better mood than he had been that morning.

He seemed to know where he was going, so Lucy followed him without a second thought when he led the way through the station and the city. He found the silence to be very annoying as they walked, but decided to let it go. No point pushing a girl who was already stressed to her limits.

Lucy followed with a decent distance between them; far enough for her to be almost calm in his presence, but close enough to indicate to any passing man or woman that they were traveling together and not to be bothered. Being a girl who was raised on the very basis of proper etiquette in the circles of high and middle-class society, Lucy knew.

It was not long until he suddenly stopped in front of a huge mansion that was the size of a city block. Lucy couldn't contain her unlady-like snort of amusement. It was painted a pure pearl white and looked like a palace.

"So much for townhouse." She had not realized she had spoken out loud until a chuckle met her ears. She shot him a quizzical glance before following him to the gates where two armed guards stood watch. Her father had invested in his estate, but the Junelle Family had always had a fascination with large, expensively decorated homes, not really bothering with the land itself.

Laxus told the guards who they were and where they were from. The guards demanded to see their guild insignia, secretly wondering where the girl kept hers. To their dismay, Lucy lifted her hand to show them the mark she was so proud of. Laxus, however, lifted his shirt to show them and Lucy stared in the opposite direction, internally refusing to admire his broad, muscular chest. Being the observant man he was, Laxus noticed the light blush the moment it tinted her cheeks with pink.

Lucy let Laxus handle everything. He spoke with Toto Carral (aka: Uncle Toto), who was a tall, skinny, balding man that looked like he should be the butler, not the Head Guard. He discussed the reward and the threat on the Duke's life (apparently the ugly toad had said something publicly about women that offended the Guild master of Skull Tears, who happened to be a woman), the traveling arrangements, and cleared up any loose ends. Lucy simply stared off into space, determined to contain as little as possible so when it was all over she would be able to erase the whole experience from her memory completely with little effort.

Before she knew it, she was being dragged out of the house by Laxus. He looked a little peeved, but not enough to have been cheated or rejected for the job. Lucy found herself thinking that maybe she should have paid maybe a little attention. She didn't have the courage to ask what was wrong, so she continued to follow his long stride with difficulty since she had to take two steps for his every one.

Yeah, he was mad. Not over-the-top mad, but mad none the less; and the girl in tow was the source of his aggravation. He knew when he brought her along the reason why she was wanted. The Duke was a perv, that's why...not like he was one to talk though. Laxus certainly did take after his grandfather, but that just meant he appreciated beauty, unlike the Duke who was just a sick little bastard. He'd seen the paintings of the Duke that covered the walls of the "townhouse" and the thought of the ugly little man drooling over the girl (even though she was weak and was going to get booted out of the Guild the moment he was Master, unless she had an insane power boost which he highly doubted) made Laxus feel disgusted to the point of wanting to punch something. Then when that idiot Toto-whatever had merely skimmed his eyes over her before saying "she will have to do," Laxus got angry because Lucy had been so good at ignoring everything that she didn't even hear the comment to get angry over it. What really ground his nerves though was the fact that Laxus had considered her to be pretty hot stuff for a weak girl. It was an insult on his taste and that was what really made him want that something to punch to be the Toto-guy. He decided to let it go though. The Head Guard was probably just gay. That or totally sexless.

Lucy stumbled when he suddenly released her arm. He didn't stop moving though. She raced to keep up, which now that he wasn't dragging her, made her have to practically run. Finally, when her legs were aching and she was completely out of breath, Lucy decided enough was enough. She didn't care what he did or how much of a scene she created, she'd had enough!

"That's it! You've been dragging me around all day, and I've had it. I refuse to take another step!" Lucy declared, folding her arms defiantly and taking a determined stance. He looked back at her, grinning as if he had never been mad at all. Oh boy did he love women with spirit.

"What's that Chickie? You want me to carry you?" _Heh heh_, he thought. Who need to see the curves when you can feel them. Lucy saw the glint in his eye and knew what he had in mind. The Master got that same look every time he was thinking something dirty. She took a step back and rose her hands up to push him away if need be.

"No. I just want to know how much farther it is." She blurted out. He continued to grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Not too far. It's an inn a couple more streets down. Almost there."

"Okay...I guess I can make it. On my own two feet." Lucy said. The man shook his head before continuing on, his laughter following.

They found the inn. Lucy thought it was nice, but a bit too expensive for her since she ran away from home. Laxus didn't care since he paid for it all. Lucy was surprised when she didn't even have to ask him for two separate rooms. When he ordered two simple meals at the restaurant attached to the inn, Lucy ate carefully. The guy just didn't inspire to mood to relax in her.

Before going their separate ways, the older mage told her that they leave Oshibashi at noon the next day and would have to get up at least two hours prior to prepare. If they made good time, the trip would be over at 8:00 in the evening. However, if all did not go well time-wise, they would reach the Junelle estate the next day after camping out over-night. As tired as she was, Lucy's thoughts about the day and the day-to-come made it difficult to close her eyes let alone relax. She had a terrible time getting to sleep. However, in the room next door, Laxus did not suffer the same problem; he passed out with a grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3: Someone Help Me

_Here is chapter three! It is hard to stay mostly in character and stay somewhat true to the innocence the characters in Fairy Tail have all the while making the story believable. Well anyway, thanks for the reviews so far and I hope you enjoy! (I will try to have chapter four up today as well, but chapter five may take longer.)_

_Chapter Three: Someone Help Me!_

The next morning Lucy woke to the sound of loud banging on her door. She sat up and looked around frantically, not recognizing her surroundings. She tried crawling out of bed, but a restless night had resulted in her being tangled in the sheets. With a squeal of alarm, Lucy lost her balance and fell off the bed and landed with a heavy 'thump'.

Laxus looked at the door with mild amusement. He figured she was still sleeping and sure enough, from the sound of her reaction, she had been. The sound of her falling out of bed made him want to burst out laughing, but he held it in. The girl was honestly more trouble than she was worth.

"Hurry it up, Chickie! We don't have all morning!" he called through the door. The sound of his voice reminded Lucy of the previous day's occurrences. Her alarm and confusion melted into pure, utter dread. The day was not going to be fun. Lucy shook her head to rid herself of her depressing thoughts. Pretending that she was with her friends on the job, not Laxus, Lucy managed to increase her mood; it was the power of mind over matter.

She dressed in black shorts and a red T-shirt, her hair pulled back in pig-tails. She made sure everything she had brought with her was packed in her travel pack before checking her keys and pulling her sandals on. Once she was done, she slipped out the door only to literally walk right into Laxus; her little daydream of being with her friends coming to a rude conclusion. She bounced off his chest with a soft thud, but managed to stay on her feet.

"Hey, watch it." She said without realizing it. Once she did though, her hand slapped over her mouth and her eyes grew wide. She looked up at him to see his reaction, but what she saw wasn't exactly the expression she expected.

Lucy was used to him shrugging off others with sarcastic, snide comments and sheer intimidation. She figured his next most common reaction was to loose his temper, considering how he always seemed to be reining it in all the time. She didn't expect him to simply give her a blank look…almost as if he was in a total daze.

To be honest, he was. His mind was still focused on her bumping into him, so her comment had passed him by completely. Laxus, like his Grandfather, had always had a fascination with women in general, but especially with their chests and rear ends. Though Fairy Tail was currently full of weaklings and fools, he had to admit that it was also filled with some of the best looking women he'd seen in his 23 years. Lucy was one of the youngest and one of the weakest, but she was also one of the best of the bunch with perfect curves, flawless porcelain skin, silky blond hair, and expressive milk-chocolate eyes. He heard of men in the guild talking about her charming smile and boundless enthusiasm for life, but had yet to see them himself except for glimpses when she was with her close friends.

When she had left her room, she had been skipping. Clearly she'd been off in her own little world; otherwise she wouldn't have been so cheerful. She had skipped right into him, her perfect body, which he had been fanaticizing about since he had first laid eyes on her, molded to his own for a split second before bouncing off. But it was that second that kept replaying itself in his memory. She felt really soft and was so tiny and delicate looking that his intrigue for the girl nearly doubled at that moment. The best damn moment of this entire trip, he decided.

With a blank look on his face, Lucy's fear quickly vanished. She decided that she liked him better like this, but knew that he would snap out of it soon enough. For the first time, Lucy's stare shifted to his eyes to see some indicator of what had turned his brain off like that. Her own chocolate eyes met piercing blue ones. Lucy gasped. Never before had she seen such a beautiful but terrifying gaze. Lucy closed her eyes in an attempt to escape the weight of his unwavering stare, but she could still picture it as clear as day in her mind.

Laxus snapped back into reality to notice the mage before him, her eyes squeezed shut. He sneered and let out a chuckle. She was a bit of a coward, not like he cared though. It was power and strength he cared about. If the mage was weak, he didn't care if they had a strong spirit or not. Once he became Master of Fairy Tail, she would have to go with all the other weaklings, no matter how beautiful she was.

"Come on Chickie. I've got a job to do." He said.

Lucy followed him like an obedient puppy. She knew the way to the Junelle's house having accidentally memorized certain landmarks leading to it the day before, but chose to stick by him for some unknown reason. They were approaching the house when Lucy remembered an important matter that they needed to discuss before the job officially began. Lucy sneaked a glance at Laxus, debating whether to risk asking him or not at the moment. She pushed a loose strand of hair then clutched her hands behind her back out of nervousness.

Laxus was listening to him music again, and Lucy knew he would not like it if she disturbed him. However, she considered the fact that the matter was important and that he had never actually acted violently against any of their guild mates from what she had heard (except for Natsu but asks for it). Perhaps her fear was a little silly. He was, after all, still a member of Fairy Tail-a member of her new "family".

"Um…" Cautiously Lucy reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. She watched as he gave her a quizzical look (He basically lifted an eyebrow at her) before pulling the headphones off his ears. "S-sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering about the reward…"

"I've already decided. You get ten percent and I get the rest." He said.

"Ten percent…that's 50,000,000 Jewels…quite a difference from your 450,000,000 Jewels." She mumbled.

"Yeah, and I'm doing ninety percent of the work, so I get ninety percent of the dough." Laxus replied in an aggravated tone, making Lucy lean away in alarm. "It's still a flippin' huge amount anyway compared to the rewards from those weakling jobs you and your pathetic little buddies go on."

"They are NOT pathetic!" Lucy blurted out, stopping in her tracks. "Yeah, they can be really insane sometimes. Sure Erza can go a bit gung-ho too, and Gray is always stripping and Natsu tends to bring destruction to every place he goes, but they are the most amazing people I've ever met! They are my "family! And though you are a big arrogant jerk, so are you. I don't care how strong or powerful you are, in the end you're just like all the others in Fairy Tail! Get off your high horse pal; you're not nearly as important as you think you are." With that, Lucy marched around him and stomped to the house.

Shocked was defiantly the word to describe Laxus at that moment. Her out-burst had taken him completely by surprise. Less than a minute before she had been struggling with a single question, then all of the sudden she was yelling at him. Was she bipolar or something? Laxus turned to look at the female, his interest rising with every interaction. He paused before following her. Her insult at the end of her speech did tick him off slightly, but he knew she was relatively new to magic, and couldn't possibly understand the difference between him and the rest. After all, he was the best.

Lucy, after knocking on the door, was allowed into the house and led to a room. She noticed that Laxus had caught up and was following, a cocky smirk spread on his face. She huffed in annoyance; why did he always react totally different from how she imagined. First at the hotel and now in the street; Lucy was sure he would be angry at her out-burst.

Mr. Toto Carral met them in the room, a maid waiting patiently at his side. He stood as rigid as a stick in mud.

"Miss Lucy...Mr. Dreyar, Greetings. You have arrived exactly on time. Now…if you please, Duke Sawarr is almost ready and will meet with you soon. Penny here will help you change Miss." Toto Carral said in a monotone voice. Lucy stared at him.

"Change?"

"Yes. Your current attire is unsuitable for traveling with the Duke. He is used to the finest bred ladies. Now…if you would follow Penny…" Lucy sighed and glanced at Laxus, who of course just stood there grinning.

"Okay, fine." She huffed then followed as the maid bowed and led the way to a room down the hall. Penny never spoke the entire time she worked. She sorted through a number of dresses until choosing a fancy yellow one that fit rather snugly. Lucy let loose another sigh; she had believed the dress she had worn to tell her father to leave Fairy Tail alone in would be the last, but she was wrong.

Lucy cooperated while dressing, for the sake of the 50,000,000 Jewels. She supposed that it was a lovely dress, with a full skirt and sleeves to her elbows. The bodice pushed her bosom up giving everyone a nice look and squeezed her already trim waist tightly. White lace trim decorated the edges and the folds. She found that the skirt added a familiar weight that she didn't miss. Stockings, ribbons, make-up, and matching heeled slippers were added by Penny, until the young debutante of the Heartfilia family was made up to look the title she had run away from. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Lucy let out a sigh. Lastly, white lace gloves where pulled on completing the costume and hiding the Fairy Tail mark. Lucy didn't like not being able to see the stamp and was tempted to remove them, but resisted.

Without a word, Penny the maid bowed then motioned for Lucy to follow her. Lucy placed her clothes in her pack and hooked her keys to a strap on her leg. The maid took the bag for her and led Lucy through the house to the courtyard where the expensive carriage waited with two white horses harnessed to it. Laxus leaned against a wheel, his head nodding to his music. Toto Carral and a number of men in armor, the Duke's normal guards, stood waiting by their horses. The maid returned to the house after dropping off the travel pack while Lucy walked elegantly, just as she was raised to, to join the men. As she approached the carriage, she earned admiring stares from the men and Laxus ended up doing a double-take.

What a difference! He waited with everyone else for her and the Duke to come. It must have been a good hour and he'd begun to wonder what the hell they were doing to the girl to make it take so long. When he finally sensed her arrival, he held back the urge to say "About time!" and instead turned to see what the maid had done to her to her. He expected her to be stuffed into a dress, but nothing could have prepared him for the woman who stood before him. She was elegant, beautiful, and so _different_ compared to what he was used to. The story of her past suddenly became way more believable. Her hair was styled up on top of her head with flowers and ribbons decorating it. A choker necklace around her throat forced his gaze to her chest that only stood out more in that dress.

Lucy blushed under his stare. Jeez, he was such a perv. She wished he wouldn't stare at her chest like he was, but considering how she was used to it, she was able to ignore it. She stopped a decent distance from him.

"Hey, I'm up here." She said, waving to draw his eyes from her body to her face. "I wish to apologize for my behavior earlier. I lost my temper and that was wrong of me. I am sorry." Lucy bowed her head respectfully then turned and stood straight, waiting for the toad to come make a scene.

Laxus was even more surprised than before. Did she get over her fear of him completely? He was somewhat pleased until he noticed a small, pudgy, toad-looking man approaching with a taller (Laxus still had height on the guy) and older, bearded man. They were dressed in ridiculous frilly outfits that made it very hard not to burst out laughing.

"Farewell, my nephew. Have a safe trip." The taller man said.

"Thank you, uncle. I am sure my journey will be an easy one." The Duke Sawarr turned from his uncle to his bodyguards only to let out a loud gasp of surprise and a squeal (yes…squeal) of delight when he saw Lucy. "Miss Lucy! What a pleasant surprise!" He scuttled over to her and grasped her delicate hand in his own grubby one. Lucy forced a nod of her head.

"Hello Duke Sawarr." She choked out with difficulty.

"Imagine seeing you here like this! Oh how I yearned to see you again, but when your father refused my proposal for your hand in marriage, I did not know what to do!" He drooled as he leaned towards her. "And here you are, Miss Lucy, and looking as…hehehe…as wonderful as ever." Both mages and a number of guards fought the urge to gag.

Lucy closed her eyes and counted to ten before answering. "I am here today as a mage of Fairy Tail. Any past between our families has no standing here. I left the Heartfilia title. Now…there is a job to be done." She said turning to get the job started.

"Yes, Miss Lucy. So you were at that famous wizard guild? Anyway, it would be smart to begin; we can have all the time in the world to reacquaint ourselves in the carriage during the journey." The round little man said stroking her hand. Lucy pulled away and clasped her hands behind her back, suddenly very thankful for the gloves.

Lucy and Sawarr climbed into the carriage and seated themselves on opposite sides. Lucy tried to put as much difference between her and the toad as possible, which didn't help much because he kept inching closer to her, drool escaping from his mouth with his disturbing giggles. Every so often he would sniff and shove his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. They had not been bouncing down the road for ten minutes before Lucy began to internally scream for someone to save her.

Recalling how she had managed to forget her current situation back at the inn by pretending she was with her teammates, Lucy closed her eyes and imagined they were the ones with her instead of Laxus. Erza would have put Sawarr in his place the moment he began to act creepy (the thought of what Erza would do to him made Lucy wish the older girl was with her even more). Natsu and Happy would have pulled Lucy out of there and to safety, but would tease her for needing them to. The Natsu would pass out from the moving vehicle and Lucy would pat his head to sooth him. Juvia and Gray would have flat out ignored the toad and concentrated on the job, occasionally having to go back to fetch gray's clothes when he began to strip. A job with them was the best kind of job: a fun one. No matter what they were doing or who the client was, they always made her enjoy being a Fairy Tail wizard more than anything else. Sadly, even if her friends had been around they could not have taken the job because it had a limit to three team members.

Lucy was having such a great time imagining a world of nothing but her and her friends that she didn't notice the Duke sliding closer until he was inches from her. She squealed in horror and flung her body back against the seat.

"Duke Sawarr, what on earth are you doing!" Lucy cried out.

"You did not look well so I thought I would feel your forehead." He wheezed. Lucy held back a snort. Liar. She saw him puckering his pudgy lips. He was trying to steal a kiss! As if she would let him have her first one! Ha!

"Well, I am quite alright. You need not worry." She said turning her head to stare out the window, wishing she were somewhere, anywhere else.

Laxus, though he was not afraid of being jumped at any second by a pervert, was suffering just as much during the journey so far. He sat on top of the carriage with the driver where it was dusty, loud, and uncomfortable. The driver himself was a talkative, cheerful fellow that spoke to anything that would listen: himself, the horses, and Laxus. Lucy would have liked the man, being sociable and friendly herself, but Laxus liked to keep to himself. For him, it was a challenge to not to do something drastic to shut to guy up. Just like the rest of his life so far though, he managed. He turned on his music as loud as it would go as an attempt to drown out the driver and focused on visually picturing the sight of Lucy in that dress; bouncing up and down as they traveled down the road. The perverted thought brought a smirk to Laxus' lips. Lucy in any outfit with a road this bumpy was enough to attract his eyes, but that dress let him see a lot more.

He was having fun fantasizing when a thought suddenly struck him: the ugly Duke was inside the carriage with her! He could see her for real! The idea of that drooling tadpole making googley eyes over what he, Laxus Dreyar, was forced to simply fantasize about sent him right back to the mood he was in before. This time though, it wasn't the driver he was tempted to vaporize.

The two blond mages suffered in silence for several hours before something happened to ease the situation into one they could handle. They were bouncing down the road, Lucy fending off Duke Sawarr and Laxus counting the seconds through gritted teeth, when something caught the male mage's attention. The road crossed a river further along; a river without a bridge. It had been burned, and recently. Probably within the last couple days. He glanced around at the long grass surrounding them and observed how it would be great for an ambush. The thought of frying someone brightened his mood greatly. It would ease some of the frustration building up. He told the driver to stop, then leaned over to tell the passengers. He instructed the other escorts to stay exactly where they were. Of course they did not listen and dis mounted from their houses and drew their weapons.

Lucy almost cheered when the carriage came to a stop and Laxus informed them of the broken bridge. A potential ambush scared the Duke enough to give up trying to grope her. She stuck her head out the window and twisted to see Laxus standing up on top of the carriage. She watched as he vanished in a shock of electricity. She looked around, wondering where he went.

While she searched, a whistle broke through the field. The sound of the shrill signal brought out the assassins. They sprang up from the grass to attack, but before they could, a wall of lightning exploded from the ground, ending the fight before it had begun. Lucy and the guards gasped at the sight. Obviously the Skull Tear Assassination Guild wasn't very good.

The bad part was that the lightning had caused a fire to break out. Without thinking, Lucy quickly kicked the door open and climbed out into the mixture of fresh air and increasing puffs of smoke. She hurried over to the river while pulling her keys out.

Laxus was feeling really good about himself, even though his opponents where extremely pathetic. He had eradicated the entire guild in one move. Sure it had set fire to the field, but the enemy was gone. The guards could put out the flames. When the girl climbed from the carriage and took off for the river though, he couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. He grinned at the idea of her fleeing from the Duke. It would be understandable. He watched as she splashed into the river up to her knees and held a gold key out in front of her. It was then that he remembered; her magic was summoning spirits.

"I command the Gate of the Water Bearer to open! Aquarius!" Lucy summoned the moody spirit forth. Aquarius's cold eyes landed on the blond and narrowed more.

"What do you want?"

"I need you to put out the fire!" Lucy replied, thinking she could be useful this way.

"Tsk!"

"Hey! Why do you always do that!" Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Fool. Fine...take this!" The mermaid spirit sent a wave out over the field, drenching everyone and sending Lucy flying in the process.

"AHHHHH!" Lucy collided into something hard. "Ow!"

"Don't call me again for something this trivial. In fact, don't call me at all for a while. I'm taking a vacation."

"What! Again!" Lucy sat up and watched Aquarius disappear. It was times like that in which she missed Juvia especially. Sighing, Lucy looked to see what she had landed on and froze when she noticed Laxus laying under her rubbing his head where it had clashed with her own. That explained her headache.

Laxus hadn't meant to do it. He watched her summon the mermaid then get swept away in the wave. Everyone's feet were drenched and a couple of the guards were dragged from their feet, but Lucy had taken the brunt of the wave. It was purely instinct that made him race forward to catch her. Running to the rescue was stupid on his part though. It was a good thing he didn't accidently release any lightning and electrocute anyone; otherwise he could have lost reward money. Not to mention the girl had a pretty thick skull.

Opening his eyes, Laxus took in the girl sitting on him. She had just noticed him under her and was too surprised to move. She was probably wondering what the chances were of her landing on _him_ out of all the space in the field. As he noticed how her now see-through yellow dress was clinging to her body, he decided that catching her was a good idea after all.

The second it clicked just exactly whom she was sitting on and what he was staring at, Lucy jumped off of him and searched for something to cover herself with. All she could see was his coat and she'd be damned if she was ask him for it. Normally she didn't care if people saw her body and she rather enjoyed it when men checked her out, but there was something about this guy that made her want to hide...to keep him from taking interest in her. She figured him to be the type who didn't care about the importance of a first kiss or true love.

The feel of something heavy being dropped over her shoulders caught her by surprise. She spun around to see Laxus walking away, his shoulders bare except for the shirt on his back. She looked at his fur-lined coat, which, though it was slightly damp, it was nothing compared to how soaked she was. She smiled gently; maybe he wasn't so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4: The Self Proclaimed Best

_Here is chapter four! I would like to apologize for any and all mistakes; sometimes my brain moves faster than my hands (or the other way around). Chapter five will take at most a couple days to finish and six will take a week or two (I think I need to try writing shorter chapters, but it is so hard for me). To all readers and reviewers: Thank You! I hope you keep reading the story. _

_Chapter Four: The Self Proclaimed "Best"_

It was decided that they would camp by the river that night, since they would not finish building a raft to cross the river on before dark. Half of the guards escorted the captured guild members to Oshibashi while the other half who remained went to a forested area that they had passed to collect wood. Laxus lent a hand to make things go faster and Lucy was left to keep the Duke company. She wanted to help with the raft, but her attire (to avoid getting sick again, Lucy removed the soaked dress but kept the underclothes for some extra coverage. With the coat wrapped around her tightly, she felt as if she had more clothes on than she did before) made it impossible and the toad Sawarr insisted that she stay with him. He was a fool, but he was not blind. He saw how Laxus clearly had a thing for the young debutante.

Lucy currently sat by the fire, slowly drying off while the toad drooled next to her. She could practically hear him panting.

"Come sleep in my arms, Miss Lucy. I will keep you warm."

"That's sexual harassment." She replied, pulling Laxus' coat closer around her. She liked how it covered her completely, blocking her body from everyone's view.

The boat was done. It was an extremely shabby job, but since it was only to get the Duke and his carriage across a little river, no one cared. Now they just had to wait for morning. Laxus made his way to the camp to see the girl inching away from the Duke with the little man in pursuit, going two inches for her every one. He smirked at her distress and chose to remain where he was for a moment, watching. He didn't like how his coat covered her completely except for her head. He did, however, like the fact that she was practically naked under _his_ coat.

Finally she'd had enough. Lucy stood up and made up some ridiculous excuse that she knew Duke Sawarr would believe even with the stupidity of it, then marched away from the camp. She knew the raft was probably finished or soon would be and she wanted to take a walk before Laxus returned and added another perv to the mix. She had not gone five feet when she realized that she was too late. Laxus stood at the edge of the camp with his practically signature smirk on his face.

"Hello." She said stiffly. "Thank you for lending me your coat. You don't mind letting me borrow it for the rest of the night, do you? The dress is still soaked and so is the pack with all of my supplies." His grin widened.

I don't mind. I really don't mind at all." I purred. Lucy shivered. "Though the Duke might." And that was why he had given her the coat. He got his eyeful and to keep others from getting some too, he let her wrap herself up. She called it being a gentleman; he called it laying claim.

"If I cared about what his type thought I wouldn't have left home." She said starting to move past him, but he stepped in the way.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. The only people who I care about now are at Fairy Tail. But they accept me for who I am."

"Heh. The old man filled my guild with sentimental idiots. When I become Master, Fairy Tail will have none of that." He scoffed.

"Then it will mean nothing." She said trying to dodge around him again.

"And why is that?"

"Because Fairy Tail is home for its members. It is a place for everyone to come together and find even more strength to overcome hardships. Fairy Tail is a pillar of hope and people need that!" She tried to dive past him but he was too quick.

"Power is what really matters. It is power that makes a person relevant. Without it you are nothing."

"So what…am I nothing then?" Lucy stopped and stared at him, her milk-chocolate eyes locking with his piercing blue ones. "I mean, we all know how you keep saying my friends and I are weak." To her surprise, Laxus let out a soft chuckle.

"Magically you are weak. However, you have another power that makes you quite formidable."

"What?" Lucy was very confused.

"Think Chickie. If you start flaunting that power of yours for me, I might be generous and let you stay in my guild." He said leaning towards her. What he was referring to suddenly dawned on Lucy.

A sharp sound of hand against face rang through the darkness. Laxus stared in shock, his head snapped to the side from the force of her slap (that was still echoing in the night). Lucy wasted no time. She wasn't about to let him retaliate before she had her say.

"Laxus Dreyar, _you_ are _such _a _PIG_!" She yelled before stomping off into the night. The sound of her clumsy footfalls brought him back from his daze. He stared in the direction she left, surprise still evident in his expression. Man, she had one hell of an attack there; if it had been a normal man she hit, they would have gone flying. As it was, Laxus had defiantly felt it. Hell…he had _heard_ it (it was still echoing through the night). He rubbed his cheek, a smile growing back on. Then slowly, he followed her into the cloak of darkness.

Lucy marched through the field. There was no moon that night and the stars did very little for lighting up the ground, so she was basically feeling her way through the tall grass. She couldn't believe that guy. What a pig! She marched along growling about him under her breath until she made a wrong step. She didn't see the hole and walked right in.

"Eeeeeek!" Lucy fell. If it wasn't for Laxus' thick coat, she could have been seriously hurt. Slowly she pushed herself up so she sat on her knees. The hole was pitch black. The stars did little for lighting the ground outside, but did even less for the lighting in the hole. To make things worse, she had left her keys at camp when she took the dress off so it could dry and forgot to grab them again.

"Oh great. Nice going, Lucy." She said to herself. She stood up and stumbled to the wall of the hole. Using her hands since her eyes were useless, Lucy established that the walls were about a foot taller than her and were a perfect five foot square.

She attempted to climb out, but the walls had been dug out from soft soil that fell every time she tried to foot a foothold. She was on the verge of crying when a shadow blocked out the stars and cast her in absolute darkness.

Laxus knew it was coming. He knew where she was heading, marching blindly because of her anger. He knew that the Skull Tears Guild had dug holes to hide themselves in. The ladders had burned up when he had crispy-fried everything in the field with his lightning. Still, even though he knew the sound would reach his ears at any moment, he very much enjoyed her squeal when she fell. It was very humorous. He slowly walked along, knowing exactly where he was heading. When he came to the hole, he leaned over to look in. He used some of his lightning so they could see each other.

"Well...hey there Chickie. Looks like you got yourself into some trouble." He said grinning. "Need a hand?" As he asked the question he pointed to the red mark on his cheek.

"You deserved that!" Lucy snapped. "Are you going to help me or not?" Laxus straightened up, a frown forming on his face. The girl certainly had loosened up a lot in a day. That morning she had been too scared to even talk to him, now she was slapping him and making demands. Normally he would consider just leaving her, but there was something about this female in particular that excited him; something that made him willing to put up with anything to win her over and into his (*ahem*) bed.

Lucy was about to turn away and get comfortable, since she didn't think she would be getting out anytime soon, when a pair of hands grasped her under her arms and lifted her out of the hole.

Again! He did it again! Whenever she is sure he will react a certain way, he goes and does something to surprise her to no end. What was his game?

"Uh...thank you?" Lucy was unsure; he had to have some edge or something. What was he up to?

"Alright, it's been a long day. I suggest you get some rest. Come on." He motioned for her to follow then left, the lightning under his control vanishing. After a moment, Lucy chased after his shadowy silhouette in the night.

When they reached the small camp, men lay around, making Lucy rather nervous. They had all brought futons having foreseen the ambush before even leaving the house in Oshibashi. Lucy's own futon was laid down between the Duke and Laxus next to the carriage. She could hear the toad giggling and felt his eyes on her as he peeped out from under his covers. Shivering, Lucy watched Laxus settled down and leaned against the carriage wheel, his arms folding across his chest and his legs crossing. Even though he closed his eyes, she had a feeling he was going to stay up all night in case he missed any assassins.

She carefully stepped up to her own futon and gently lay down; Laxus' coat was still wrapped around her, though now it was more like a great big blanket. After listening to the toad's giggles and mumbles for about a second, Lucy began to wiggle, shifting her futon closer to Laxus.

He was mildly amused by her scooting closer to him and away from the Duke, but he couldn't blame her. He relaxed, but remained alert. It was a good thing he slept so well the night before.

Lucy glanced at Laxus. He looked different when he was calm. There was a soft smile gracing his mouth that gave him an almost nice guy appearance. Sadly, she knew what he was really like…well, sort of. He was technically still a mystery, but she did know some things about him. For instance, he was arrogant, vulgar, and a mean man who created a whole new meaning to the word 'pervert'. But there was still more to him.

Lucy glanced again at him and saw him staring at the stars with an expression that seemed sad but full of hope for the future. Just like everyone else at Fairy Tail. She smiled. A pervert...yes, but "family" none the less.


	5. Chapter 5: Fairy Tail Is The Best

_Chapter five is a long one. Writing for Laxus and making it believable is so hard; I had to study the books quite a bit before I was able to make him the way he is in the story. Because of his grandfather (who he apparently spent a lot of time with while growing up) and a couple hints here and there in Hiro Mashima's story, I decided to make him a perv, you know…make it a family trait. However, Laxus is not only arrogant (and obnoxious), but he also likes to keep mostly to himself, so I figured he wouldn't openly react the way his grandfather does, but simply make a suggestive comment instead. Anyway, I'm still working on chapter six, which may take a while since I have a __**One Piece**__ and a __**Naruto**__ story in the works as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh! And thank you to those who review._

_Chapter Five: Fairy Tail is the Best_

The next day was not as long and agonizing as the one before, but it was just as uncomfortable. Lucy awoke with a stiff neck and aching back from a night of roughing it, and a headache from all of the stress she'd endured over the last couple of days. She was not looking forward to the remainder of the trip, but the thought of leaving the Duke, returning to magnolia with her handsome reward, and not having to be around Laxus again made her practically leap from her futon.

She eyed Duke Sawarr suspiciously, but he remained motionless except for his wheezy breathing. She glanced at Laxus who was staring off into space. She knew he was very much aware of her there and was simply ignoring her. She sighed and nodded; she was glad, she didn't want to talk to him at that moment, despite her kinder thoughts about him the night before.

After making sure that Laxus' fur coat was wrapped tightly around her body, Lucy snatched up some now dry clothes that she had brought with her from home (the dress had shrunk from getting wet) and dashed behind the carriage to change, praying all of the men remained where they were.

Laxus was tempted to follow to follow her, but decided against it. He had heard some of the guards talking before going to sleep about a slapping sound they had heard while returning to camp from the raft. They were discussing what could have made the noise, but had not come to the conclusion that maybe Lucy had gotten angry at someone. Laxus was unwilling to solve their questions by being slapped again.

Besides, Laxus was in a bad enough mood after staying up all night and lacked faith in his self-control should she smack him again. He might just snap and take it out on his employer, which wouldn't be a smart move. Laxus wanted to be paid. Honestly though, the Duke was asking to be pummeled practically. All night Laxus had to watch him to make sure he didn't try anything while Lucy was sleeping. Fifteen times Laxus caught the little toad man sneaking toward her sleeping form, short and creepy giggle escaping from his pudgy face. A sharp glare from the powerful mage put a quick, though temporary, end to the advances, and it wasn't long before the Duke tried again. Laxus' patience was running extremely thin when the Duke finally gave up completely and started snoring with short, wheezing breaths. After that, he relaxed slightly and let his attention focus on the girl next to him. She looked rather angelic as she slept and he felt incredibly calm watching her breathing softly. He spent the rest of the night staring at her face, watching as she would stir and turn over slightly. He watched until she awoke moments before dawn, when he turned his head away and pretended to be ignoring. He heard her jump up after a moment and scuttle around camp, collecting a change of clothes before moving to change behind the carriage. He still loved the fact that she had been practically naked under _his _coat.

The sun was just starting to rise, the sky lighting up slightly with every passing moment as Lucy quickly changed behind the fancy box on wheels. Lucy preferred to travel by train or by foot, probably because that was how she and her friends normally traveled. She quickly stripped off the coat and the undergarments before pulling on a fresh pair of panties and a bra. She didn't slow her frantic movements to get dressed until she had secured a loose sky blue T-shirt with a cute bunny on it and navy Capri pants onto her body. She attached her keys to her belt loop and slid into her sandals before tying her hair into its usual style with it mostly down except a small ponytail at the side. Content that she looked decent yet nothing special, Lucy gathered up the fancy underclothes and folded them. With them tucked under her arm, she gathered up Laxus' coat; carefully examining it for dirt or anything that could mar it. Smiling at how smooth and silky it still was despite a day on a dusty road, getting wet, breaking her fall, then enduring her using it as a blanket. It had to be charmed. She wouldn't be surprised considering how it had remained almost completely dry when everyone else was soaked by Aquarius' wave.

When Lucy finally stepped out from behind the carriage, Laxus was up and moving around waking the guards and sending glares at the Dike. Lucy observed that the intensity of her partner's icy blue stare made it even into Sawarr's dreams, causing him to stir. Sensing evil intent sent in waves from the powerful blond mage, the Duke shot up and looked around, searching for the source of his discomfort. Laxus, however, had already turned back to loading the carriage as if nothing ever happened. Lucy fought back a giggle. That was one way to wake the Duke without risking a cut in the reward.

The morning had a peaceful feeling to it, despite the Duke's perverted stares and complaints about Lucy's more simple attire. She defended herself by saying (repeatedly) that the dress had shrunk and would not fit her anymore. She apologized and told him to take the cost of the dress out of the reward. Of course, it would come out of her portion. To her relief, but not surprise, Duke Sawarr refused and said that it was a simple dress, nothing worth worrying over.

Once everything was ready to go, the raft was used to float the carriage with Sawarr and Lucy in it across the river. It turned out to be a simple task that only took a few minutes. They were on the road in no time.

Laxus sat on top of the carriage like he had the day before, his headphones blaring his music as loud as they could as the driver chatted away. Lucy sat in the same place as well, and spent it doing the same thing: keeping the Duke from getting drool all over her. She would glance out the window occasionally, watching the guards on horseback trotting along around the carriage, but would have to quickly turn back to the Duke otherwise he would try to take advantage of her daydreaming.

It was around mid-day when the group finally arrived at the Junelle Family Estate. The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the house (it was more like a castle) and Lucy leaned out the window to look. She was about to pull her head back in to open the door when she felt a small, chubby hand cup her behind. She yelped and climbed out the window, falling painfully onto the gravel driveway.

Laxus was amused when Lucy dove out the window. He had just swung down from his seat and was stretching when her cry reached his ears. However, the reason why she would leap out the window so comically really pissed him off. It made him want to pound the wimpy Duke into the ground, to beat him into a bloody pulp. Forget magic, he wanted to feel each hit with his own two hands. But the call of money held him back. There was plenty of time for him to grope her himself on the journey back to Fairy Tail. Then there was the fact that they were guild mates, though only until he took over (his offer still stood, but he doubted she would ever agree to it); he had the ability to be around her a lot more than the disgusting little tadpole.

He watched her scramble to her feet as her hand flew to her keys. She suddenly froze, considering the consequences of having Loki blast Sawarr. Lucy frowned, but backed away so a servant could open the door and let the giggling toad out. The two mages knew why he was so pleased; it was because he had finally managed to touch Lucy.

Disgusted, Lucy lifted her arms to wrap them around herself protectively, but winced at a sharp, sting of pain from her elbow and palm on her right arm. She looked to see what was wrong, but quickly hid it from sight. If the Duke saw it, he might try to get her into his house spewing nonsense about getting her bandaged up. Her elbow had taken most of the damage, being horribly scraped. Blood slid down her arm to her wrist, connecting it to the smaller scrape on her palm. Despite her turning her arm to her side, Laxus still managed to catch a glimpse of the wound. He shook his head and told her to stay outside while he collected the money.

The next moment Laxus was passing her with the Duke in tow. The mage had a firm grip in the back of the smaller man's stupid frilly outfit, dragging him to the palace-like home. When the noble resisted, Laxus began insisting in a sarcastic tone that Sawarr's parents must be worried about him. The Duke then tried to say that Lucy should at least come and stay awhile, but the mage would have none of that. He replied that they were on a tight schedule and could not stay longer than needed.

Toto Carral quietly followed the powerful blond male and his lord, not daring to complain about the mage's treatment of the Duke. He had not agreed with hiring the mages, but Sawarr's mother had insisted. She worried about her incompetent son even without an assassination guild out for his head. The way Toto Carral saw it, there was nothing a couple of wizards could do that Sawarr's personal bodyguards couldn't do themselves. However, that all changed when Laxus Dreyar flattened the whole guild in one move. The Head Guard couldn't believe the power the man had; he had fought mages before, but no one like that. He had not expected the guild to send some random mage that wasn't even S-class; certainly not someone of his caliber. After the defeat of Skull Tears, Toto Carral backed away and let Laxus take command. He doubted anyone even remembered he was there. He spent the rest of the journey watching the mage send silent threats in the Duke's direction and wondering when the clearly temperamental man would lose it; he had the feeling that Laxus could be provoked into a destructive rampage at any time. By the end of the trip, he decided that Lucy Heartfilia was a very brave girl for even considering teaming up with such a loose cannon.

As soon as the three vanished into the Junelle home, Lucy was left with the guards and servants. Lucy dug through her bag that she retrieved from the storage area in search of her medical kit. Quickly, Lucy settled on the steps of the massive home and began cleaning the wound on her elbow, dabbing it gently with a disinfectant-soaked cotton-swab before covering it with a bandage. The one on her hand was easier and quicker to do, so she was finished before Laxus came out with a black case hung over his shoulder.

Lucy climbed to her feet, her pack pulled over her shoulders. She jogged after Laxus as he strolled down the drive and onto the road.

"Where are we going now? Do we have to walk?" She asked, huffing. He may not try, but he walked pretty quickly. Laxus didn't even spare her a glance.

"I'm walking to a village about five miles that way." He pointed to a fork in the road that Lucy had not noticed on the drive there. From there it is a four hour train ride back to Magnolia."

Lucy nodded and slowed to a pace she was comfortable with. She allowed her thoughts to wander. The idle thought of why the Junelle family simply didn't take the train to the village and the carriage the last five miles slid into her head. It would have been quicker and easier. After some debate, Lucy realized the reason: money. They didn't want to pay for tickets for the guards, servants, and the hired mages along with the Duke himself. Then there would be the cost of repairs when the Assassin Guild attacked. The reward they received would have been nothing if they had to pay for the train as well. It was cheaper to just take more time.

Sighing, Lucy glanced up to watch the clouds float by. She couldn't wait to be back home again, kicking everyone out as she always had to do. Her eyes slowly lowered until the landed on the man in front of her. His long strides had carried him way ahead of her in the short amount of time, but Lucy was in no hurry to keep up.

She could tell he was listening to his music again. That was practically all he really did besides doing jobs and insulting his weaker guild members. He was incredibly strong and perhaps could even be worthy of the respect he demands, but his attitude made others just fear and dislike him. Recalling his expression the night before when gazing up at the stars, Lucy wondered if he was putting on a big act when he behaved so arrogantly or whether she had just misinterpreted his expression. She hoped she didn't though. He had seemed more like a member of Fairy Tail at that moment, not just the big bully she and so many others saw him as. Mira had told her once when she first arrived that everyone in the guild is living under a cloud. Lucy wondered if it was the same for Laxus as well. It had to be some cloud to make him have such a nasty attitude. Then again, maybe she was thinking about it too much; it could all just be in her head.

"You know Chickie…if you walk any slower, I will leave you behind!" His voice suddenly called her from her thoughts. Probably all in her head Lucy thought as she jogged to catch up.

Panting heavily, Lucy slowed to a clumsy speed-walk next to him. She struggled to keep up, but it was incredibly difficult. And she had to do this for five miles? Lucy fought back a groan.

Laxus was enjoying himself. He was calmly walking along on a bright sunny day, good music gracing his ears, and a beautiful girl following him. Sure he would prefer it if she walked up close, so he called out to her, threatening to leave her behind. That brought her to his side, chest heaving from running and her body moving in a way that made her bounce. From the corner of his eye, he traced her figure, following every movement from the twists, jiggles, and tilts, to the simple rise and fall of her breathing.

Lucy moaned in discomfort. Her effort to keep up granted her with feeling the heat of the sun more intensely. Before it had been warm, but now she felt hot and had no way to cool down. Lucy pulled the collar of her shirt away and used it to fan her face. Sighing slightly, Lucy wondered how Laxus could stand the sun. She knew Natsu was fine with heat and so was Gray since he was an ice mage, but Laxus used lightning. That wouldn't protect him from temperatures, would it? Trying to be nonchalant about it, Lucy glanced at the tall man next to her, ignoring the ache in her legs from her struggle to keep up.

He had his coat thrown over his shoulder and his sleeves had been rolled up. Apparently he did feel the heat. A couple more button on his shirt were undone, but Lucy refused to look for longer than a split second at his muscular chest in fear of having to admit the possibility of an attraction to him. He was sweating, but his breathing was even and he looked like he could walk all day. Lucy's eyes slid to his face to see that he was staring at her. His head had turned completely and even tilted slightly for a better look. Frowning, Lucy followed his stare and realized that he was staring down her shirt. Every time Lucy pulled her shirt away to fan her face, his height granted him a nice eyeful of her cleavage. He probably hadn't noticed she was observing him or he would have made some snide or suggestive comment. That just proved just how intently he was concentrating on the sight she was unknowingly gifting him with. The look in his eyes was scary. The girl could not help but shiver from the lust his expression held. Lucy immediately released her shirt and glared at him. She blushed again, but this time it was not from the heat; Laxus looked up to her face the moment she stopped. His expression had turned blank, but his beautiful blue eyes still held that terrifying look.

Laxus had not planned on openly staring, but when she had begun to fan herself, granting him quick looks down her shirt, his brain just shut off. Before he knew it, his head had turned and his eyes locked on target, oblivious to everything else in the world. He didn't even notice when the song he was listening to ended! The only reason he kept walking was so he could stay level with her. Never before had he been so happy for his height. He could see everything!

When she stopped fanning herself, his eyes went to her face to see her glaring at him. He inaudibly cursed, annoyed at being caught so soon. Her face though, was red from more than just the heat; she was blushing! His mind was still fogged over from lust, so the sight made him seriously consider jumping her. He was sure that with a bit of persuasion he could convince her to go willingly.

The weight of his gaze as it intensified almost made her swoon, but Lucy managed to stop herself by repeatedly reminding herself of his personality. Who cares how handsome he is or how tall and muscular he is. Who cares if he had the most beautiful (yet frightening) eyes she's ever seen. He was an arrogant, perverted, vulgar jerk! He was mean to her friends and had more than once said how he was going to expel the weaker mages from the guild (and that included her) the moment he became Master…if he became Master. Besides, he didn't really care. All he felt for her was lust. Lucy refused to allow herself to let him under her skin. The power of her dream of someday falling in love and living happily ever after kept her will strong!

Once more back in her right mind, Lucy's glare intensified. "Quit looking down my shirt!" she snapped. Laxus sighed.

"Then maybe you shouldn't go around flashing me." He responded, pulling himself together.

"It's not like I meant to!" Lucy replied, her arms wrapping around herself protectively.

"Oh, come on! You never seemed to care when you were around you friends…oh no…" Laxus' eyes widened. "…Don't tell me you want one of them to…" the thought that Lucy would prefer one of the weaklings to him made him top in his tracks. At least he knew there was no way the Duke would ever have a chance, but her with Natsu or gray…hell, even Loki…it was possible!

Lucy saw where his thoughts were going and stopped too. Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No! The others are my friends…practically my brothers! I just don't like _you_!" She emphasized the past word by pointing her finger at his chest.

"What's wrong with me? I am the best in the guild! Everyone else is nothing!" Relief faded into annoyance.

"First of all, you're a jerk! A selfish, arrogant, vulgar jerk! Secondly, you don't even like me! You have no right to even think those kinds of things when you make it _sooo_ clear that I am a useless weakling who's going to be kicked out of Fairy Tail if you ever become Master!"

"_When_! _When_ I become Master! And I said I would let you stay last night and you slapped me! Bad move by the way." He growled pointing at his cheek.

"Are you _that_ full of yourself? I am not some whore! Besides, I would never want to be in a guild with a creep like you as Master!" Lucy yelled.

"At least I wouldn't turn it into a place of idiocy! With me as Master, no one would ever dare utter an insult about Fairy Tail!"

"What do you mean 'place of idiocy'? Fairy Tail is nothing of the sort!" Lucy shook with rage.

"That old man and your precious friends are turning it into a laughingstock!"

"Fairy Tail is a place where everyone can be happy; where they can have fun and live freely!"

"He turned it into a freaking tourist resort!" Laxus snapped, his hands balling into fists.

"Master is opening the guild up. It makes more money this way and we give jobs to those who need them."

"He got the pool and hired the waitresses 'cause he's a pervert. It had nothing to do with charity."

"Like you have any right to talk mister-openly-stare-down-my-shirt," Lucy placed her hands on her hips, daring him to say something else. He happily accepted the challenge.

"If you're that offended, maybe you should wear more clothes all the time and not just when you think I'm not around. Don't be such a tease."

"Or maybe you can just stop being such a pervert!" She snapped back, stomping past him and marching down the dirt road. He followed, shooting his reply back with just as much venom.

"So what…you don't care who you entertain as long as it's not me…just 'cause I'm not all lovey-dovey with the idiots of the guild?"

"You're not nice to any of them! You're always insulting them and looking down on everyone."

"Because they're all the idiots of the guild!"

"Urg! I can't believe you! How can you insult everyone, including me, and still think I would want anything to do with you? It doesn't matter if you're the most powerful mage in all of Fiore if I can't stand to be around you for longer than thirty seconds without wanting to scream!" Lucy was breathing heavily; out of breath from her outburst.

Laxus could have responded in a number of ways. He considered making a sarcastic comment about her screaming not necessarily symbolizing a bad thing, but another slap would probably send him on a rampage with lightning, resulting in the field and any nearby town, village, or house being leveled. He came to the conclusion that violence, abandonment, or selling her to the Duke would be a bit too much. He decided that it would be best if he simply sent some equally wounding verbal barbs back at her.

Lucy could have sworn that she had gone too far and was about to be vaporized, and her first instinct was to back away from the man. His eyes seemed to turn icy cold and an aura of death radiated around him. The all too familiar feeling of fear filled Lucy at the sight of the powerful mage's rage. For several seconds she waited for her punishment for angering him, shivering and biting her lip to keep her whimpers from escaping. It was somewhat of a surprise when Laxus didn't strike her or turn her into roasted Lucy-chops; instead he sighed, turned on his heal and continued to walk down the road.

"W-what…?" Lucy gawked, hardly believing that he didn't even yell some cruel obscenity at her before walking away. She slowly followed him, wondering why he didn't retaliate. Was he thinking of a better comeback, or did her words get through to him and he decided to leave her alone? After following him for about thirty seconds in silence, Lucy couldn't stop herself from asking; the wait was just too much for her. "Well?"

"Well what?" he said casually, as if they had not been having a heated argument only a moment before.

"No comeback? No vicious insults?" Once more to Lucy's surprise, he chuckled.

"Why bother? You're easy on the eyes, but I've seen better. If you want to act like a sheltered rich girl trying to act all tough and rebellious, I just don't see the point in it anymore." Lucy stopped dead in her tracks for a split second before quickly walking again, hoping he didn't notice her reaction. He did though; he loved it.

Laxus kept his head turned straight ahead so she couldn't see his expression, but he was grinning like never before. He had gotten a reaction, which was a good signal. Besides, what he said was true…mostly. His fame as a powerful Fairy Tail wizard does attract all sorts of women; from poor, hard-working shop girls, to gorgeous, exotic professional models. Lucy does act like a rebellious, sheltered rich girl. However, Laxus had absolutely no intention of giving up. He was up for a challenge; he would just have to play this one very carefully.

Lucy forced on a smile. She told herself not to care, not to give him the pleasure of getting a rise out of her. She wasn't certain, but she believed this was him getting back at her earlier outburst.

Sensing her determination to not react anymore, Laxus decided to twist his verbal knife a bit; maybe then he could have the satisfaction of well-deserved revenge.

"I mean…sure the whole ignorant virgin can be a turn on for some, but it always gets old after a while. In the end, those types end up as nothing but a tease. Not worth the hassle." Lucy froze in her tracks once more, the wind blowing her hair over her eyes, eclipsing her face in shadow. Laxus just kept walking, strolling along lazily and enjoying the victory he could see on his horizon.

Meanwhile, Lucy's mind was reeling at his string of insults spoken so casually that she just felt even more insulted. Ignorant…gets old...nothing but a tease...not worth the hassle... Was she really like that? Her mouth opened as she struggled with a response. As he continued to move away she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head, not wanting him to get any cockier. Sadly, her words did not help her situation _at all_.

"Whoever said I'm a virgin?" Lucy shot out, then mentally groaned; it was too late though. Laxus stopped, his body becoming motionless. Then slowly his head turned, revealing a wicked grin oozing arrogance and a promise of severe future embarrassment. He had won that round.


	6. Chapter 6: A Sure Thing

_Here is chapter six! Thanks for being patient. Chapter seven probably won't be done for a week or two considering it is fall and classes have started and I have another story going. Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read __**This Little Chickie**__._

_Chapter Six: A Sure Thing _

Lucy couldn't believe how stupid she was. How could she have allowed herself to say that? After the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted it and continued to do so all the way to the train station. Laxus talked all the way, laughing it up as she blushed and tried to escape him. Even on the train he followed, making snide comments on various things that all somehow managed to connect to her lack of any sort of personal relationship. She had tried to defend herself, but ended up spilling the beans on how she never even dated before.

On the train Lucy quickly chose a seat next to an elderly woman, but to her dismay, it did not stop him. Laxus plopped down in an empty booth behind her and would whisper lewd comments in her ear, bringing forth blushes and causing her to shake with embarrassment and anger.

Meanwhile, Laxus was having the time of his life. She had given up any form of comeback after accidentally admitting never dating let along any other form of contact with the opposite sex. She would hug her friends once in a while, but that was it. He was surprised about her total lack of experience, but was also rather pleased. The thought of getting her first of everything was an exciting thought for him indeed.

Unable to take his torture any longer, Lucy hissed out in a venomous tone, "Will you just leave me alone! I came along on your job and you got your money, so just get off my back!" Lucy glanced at the old woman next to her to see if she heard anything, but she was thankfully sound asleep. When Laxus responded to her demand with a deep-throated chuckle, the young mage winced and waited for his rebuke.

"I have to do something to keep myself occupied for the next four hours." he said. She could practically hear the grin on his face.

"Listen to your SoundPod then!" She hissed back.

Between chuckles, Laxus replied, "Alright…alright, I'll give you a break, but I'm still not done with you yet." Lucy knew he would keep his promise to keep taunting her later, but was relieved for a moment of peace, however short it may end up being.

When the sound of music came from behind her, Lucy let out a soft sigh, releasing the tension that had been building in her gut. Minutes must have passed with her staring off into space with the soft sound reaching her ears. Lucy turned her head and stared out the window to watch the passing landscape. Leaning slightly to see past the elder woman's feathery hat, Lucy thought vaguely to herself how Laxus at least had decent taste in music.

With the powerful mage no longer pestering the former heiress, she was able to put him out of her mind altogether and reverted back into her own world once more. She imagined herself surrounded by her friends and a smile slid onto her face. It was so easy to imagine Natsu passed out from his motion sickness, Ezra beating up Gray for taking his clothes off, and Happy sleeping on her lap. When Lucy recalled how by the end of the day she would be back in the guild and surrounded by everyone again, her smile only grew. Laxus would probably go back to ignoring her with the rest of Fairy Tail's members which was just another wonderful thought for her to dream about. Starting to rather enjoy the end of her three-day trip, Lucy began to hum with the music as her eyes stared cheerfully out the window.

While Lucy occupied herself with her active imagination while listening to the music, Laxus was keeping his brain busy as well. However, unlike the petite blond seated behind him, he was not paying attention to the tunes playing. In fact, his headphones were not even covering his ears; they were instead resting on his shoulders. He was actually considering what he was going to do when he returned to the guild. He had a feeling that Lucy was going to do everything in her power to avoid him and that her friends would be more than willing to help. The thought of the girl hiding behind the dragon slayer and the ice mage made Laxus' blood boil.

Laxus' shoulders slumped when a rather disturbing image of the pink-haired foot and the stripping pervert flirting with Lucy drifted across his mind. His hands curled into fists, but he quickly managed to get a hold of himself before he could lose his temper any more. He mentally told himself that there was no point in getting himself worked up over nothing; there was no way he would lose to such weak idiots, so overreacting would only make him seem insecure. In time she would come to her senses and see how she was being ridiculous by refusing him.

Satisfied with his conclusion, Laxus straightened up in his seat and let his trademark cocky smile slide onto his face where it belonged. He was about to pull his headphones up to cover his ears again when he noticed a soft voice humming with the music from his SoundPod; the two rhythmic sounds blending beautifully. It took him a moment to realize that it was coming from the girl seated behind him. Surprised but also rather pleased at the perfectly tuned harmony, he had to stop himself from turning his head to listen better. Though her voice was nothing special, she certainly knew how to use it. He guessed that the former part of her life not only presented her with good connections and a vast knowledge of proper etiquette and behaviors, but also with music lessons.

Closing his eyes, he vaguely wondered if she knew how to play an instrument as well. That was the last though that crossed his mind before he allowed himself to drift off into a light nap.

Lucy stopped humming after three songs came and went. She felt much better than she had when she first stepped onto the train with Laxus hot on her heals, but the dark cloud of apprehension over having to communicate with the man again at some point would not stop hovering through her mind.

Slowly she turned her head and leaned ever so slightly to take a peep at her arrogant travel companion. From the corner of her eye she saw him leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed and his long legs stretched out so they took up as much space as possible. Her eyes traveled to his handsome face and took in the fact that he was asleep, or at least well on the way there. When Lucy noticed that his head phones were not on his head but were instead around his neck, Lucy wondered if he had been listening to her humming, but decided that it didn't matter if he had been. She could hum if she wanted to and he couldn't tease her about it without appearing very childish.

Lucy leaned back into her own seat and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she managed to stay quiet and let him sleep until they reached Magnolia station, she would be able to sneak off the train before he was able to wake up enough to care; it would allow her more time before having to face his stray eyes and teasing again. With that thought, Lucy smiled contently to herself before resting her head back against her seat and closing her own eyes. She wasn't going to sleep, just rest her eyes a little, or so she told herself.

Both mages were wide-awake again about an hour before reaching the Magnolia station. Though neither felt like taking a nap and risking the chance of missing their stop (they did not trust the other to them up), they didn't want to just sit in their seats and suffer with boredom either. The elder woman had departed from the train about the same time as well, so Laxus took the opportunity to move onto the seat next to Lucy. She wanted to tell him to go away, but managed to hold her tongue.

To the girl's relief, her companion didn't say anything, just listened to his music and watched her, though that in itself was pretty unnerving. His fierce blue gaze remained locked on her for a long while, as if he was studying her; trying to figure out how she ticked.

Lucy wondered if he was trying to discover how she was able to refuse him so completely. At first she tried ignoring his stares, but as time passed she ended up looking back at him, hoping he would give some indication to the reason behind his continuous staring. In the end, the two blond mages became locked in a staring match that kept them occupied until their stop finally came. Eventually, Lucy's curiosity got the best of her.

"Why are you staring at me?" Her only response was a frown. "Stop staring. It's unnerving." She said and his eyes narrowed. When he blinked she returned his frown; she just didn't understand him. He was acting so weird.

Lucy decided to just let him be and turned away from him. She decided to instead focus on what to do with her Jewels once she was off the train. First she would pay her rent then she would go shopping to reward herself for surviving the job. The last of the money would go into a special account just in case of emergencies. Lucy smiled at the idea; the last time she had spare cash to put aside was before she left home.

Laxus was deep in thought; his eyes were on her, but he was focused on something else. As they approached their destination, Laxus recalled a rumor he'd heard about the old man letting former Phantom Lord trash join the guild. During his week back between his last mission and the current one, he had only stayed in the guild long enough to see if she was healthy again and to annoy Natsu and Erza (which did not take long), so he had yet to prove the rumor true. If it was though, he was going to have to put his foot down. Though the new guild was bad enough, inviting former enemies that were defeated by a weakling like Natsu would be the last straw. At the rate his grandfather was going, his guild was going to become the biggest laughing stock in all of Fiore.

Thinking about the Phantom Lord incident brought up a question Laxus wasn't too worried about, though it still left him rather curious.

"Why _was_ Phantom Lord after you?" He asked. Lucy glanced at him before sighing.

"Because Papa decided, for the first time since I ran away, that he wanted his precious little princess back." She replied sarcastically. Laxus raised an eyebrow and Lucy bit her lip knowing he wanted an actual answer. "I was gone for a whole year and he didn't care until it was decided that my marriage to Duke Sawarr Junelle would be a good business deal." She said looking at her lap. The subject was still a sore spot for her, but Laxus was a member of Fairy Tail; in her mind, he had a right to know, even if he did refuse to come to the guild's aid. The older mage briefly thought of his own father and he felt a brief stab of sympathy for the girl before wiping the memory and the emotion from his mind. Frowning, he turned away from the obviously troubled girl. When Laxus did not say anything, Lucy risked a glance his way.

She was surprised to see him leaning back in his seat and staring out the window with a blank expression on his face. Slowly, a small smile began to curve his lips though.

"What? Why are you smiling?" Lucy asked.

"I was just thinking your dad thinks a lot like me."

"WHAT! Because of him Fairy Tail was attacked! How can you say that and smirk!" She practically yelled, jumping to her feet. Didn't he hate everyone who wronged Fairy Tail?

"Not that part, though eliminating the weaklings is the best thing for my guild at this point. I meant the selling you part; with the way things are going, it's the only way you'll find a guy willing to put up with you permanently."

"…" Lucy was speechless. The guy couldn't be serious. "…Was that supposed to be a joke?" she asked. Did he know who he was talking to? Lucy knew she was beautiful and that any guy would consider himself favored by fate to have her as his girlfriend or wife, yet he just said…

"No. It's the truth." Laxus laughed at her shocked expression as it slowly began to morph into one of absolute fury. "For a temperamental female like you, your looks can only take you so far." The train came to a complete stop just as the words left his mouth. Lucy was too caught up in his insults to realize that he was baiting her like he did with Erza and Natsu.

"Are you calling me annoying?" She hissed out as he stood with the case of money in his hand.

"Yes. You are very annoying." He replied without missing a beat. He strolled off the train and she hurried after him, the handle of her travel bag clutched in her fist. The small blond mage was fuming as she followed him, her eyes digging holes into his back.

"If I'm so annoying, then how come I have so many friends?" She growled out, thinking that she was more popular in the guild than him, meaning he's worse than her.

"Because they don't have to put up with you as much as the poor sap who gets you will have to."

"That is _not_ true! Lots of guys like me…including _you_; or do you not remember _earlier today_ or _last night_." She said sharply and he sighed.

"I decided you're not worth the hassle as other guys will…" Laxus lied. "Or do _you_ not remember this afternoon?" Laxus said with a smirk. Lucy winced and quickly turned away. "Besides, you don't look that appealing right now. You look totally plain without make-up covering you." The threatening sound of her growl made him pause and look at her; he never thought little blond girls like her could growl so menacingly.

"I. Am. Beautiful. Even without a little blush or lipstick." She snarled and Laxus wondered why she was so fierce when her looks were insulted. Though he knew she was quite stunning, her repeatedly declaring her good looks gave him the impression that she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "If I was to go sit on that bench over there…" Lucy said pointing at the bench he had been seated on before the duo had left two days before, "…I bet that at least one guy will ask me out within the first five minutes."

"I don't know…you might be surprised at the young male population these days; many are too busy to bother with short, temperamental females. In all honesty, you were lucky I was able to overlook your flaws, even if for just a while." Laxus said with a chuckle.

"I am not _short_ or _temperamental_!" She said, crossing her arms as the man snorted in amusement. "Shut up! Even in these plain clothes and no make-up I can get any guy I want! I can have dozens of them crawling at my feet!" Her declaration gave the powerful mage an idea.

"Oh please." Laxus replied. "The day you have dozens of men at your beck and call is the day you'll willingly kiss me." He said, knowing exactly how she'd respond.

"No…the day I _don't_ have dozens of men at my beck and call is the day I'll willingly kiss you." She announced to him, her finger poking his chest as she smirked. He almost rolled his eyes at how gullible the girl was.

"Okay, let's make a deal then. If you waited on that bench, I bet that you wouldn't attract a single guy."

"Alright, I'll go sit over there for five minutes and prove it." Lucy said, her foot tapping on the marble floor.

"Fine, but if not one guy approaches you with romance in mind, then you own me a kiss. And just to be fair, I'll give you twenty minutes." Laxus held his triumphant smirk as her eyes narrowed.

Suddenly Lucy understood why he had been baiting her. Even though he claimed to have lost interest in her, apparently he wasn't above trying to get some free action. She was confident she would win, so Lucy didn't care, but she would make sure that she got something for her efforts.

"Fine, but what do I get when I win?" She asked. He considered for a moment before answering.

"…I'll give you fifty percent of the reward money instead of your original ten percent."

"Deal."

"Fine."

"Fine!" Lucy turned on her heal and marched to the bench. She flopped down and immediately her eyes locked onto Laxus who had seated himself on a bench across the station. He was leaning with his forearms against his knees and the money case between his feet. Laxus made sure that they were still within sight of each other.

She glared at him for the first minute before realizing that her staring at him would give potential dates a wrong idea, so she tore her gaze from her tormentor. She tried to focus on he hands, but his big stupid face kept popping up and she kept hearing his insults and remarks in her head. She wanted to punch him; to have her spirits teach him what happens when one messes with a celestial wizard. Against her will, her eyes kept darting to him before she managed to pull them back. Not even her father could make her so angry.

Watching Lucy fidget in her seat and send cold glares his way, Laxus idly wondered how the issue had become about her ability to pick guys up instead of her ability to keep them as he originally meant. He knew that she could easily attract every guy in the station if she just stopped looking so unapproachable, but he also knew that he couldn't let her win; Lucy kissing him was such a pleasant thought. Besides, he wanted to keep all his money. So when a particularly brave male began to approach the livid girl, Laxus purposely waved at her and she began to radiate a dark aura. She did not see her potential win, even as she scared him away.

Ten minutes of glaring at Laxus and the floor, Lucy realized she would never win if she continued to look as if she was about to bite someone's head off. Everyone who saw her kept their distance. Though it took another minute, Lucy managed to calm herself down enough to smile gently and to correct her posture. She pretended to be waiting for a train and crossed her ankles elegantly.

She refused to look at the man she was beginning to think of as the source of all evil. Trying to seem pleasant, Lucy began to lose all worry as men around the station would pause to stare at her; some glancing out of the corner of their eye, others openly checking her out. It was not long until she sensed the approach of a young man in a business suite. She looked at him and made sure to allow an inviting smile to curve her lips. He returned her smile and his pace quickened until he suddenly froze in place. He began to sweat and his face took on a fearful expression. Puzzled, Lucy watched the guy slowly begin to back away, then spin on his heel and practically run in the opposite direction. Though she thought it was extremely weird, she figured the guy just remembered his wife or something.

After the same thing happened every time a guy started to approach her, she realized that something was going on. With only one minute left, Lucy began to panic. She did _not_ want to kiss Laxus.

She caught sight of a guy slowly moving towards her. To help him along, she offered a flirtatious smile and he closed the book he had been pretending to read and casually strolled toward her. For a brief instant, Lucy thought she won. Then the guy froze in place like all the others and looked like he would pass out in fear. Unlike the others though, he realized that the threatening aura he was feeling was not from the pretty girl on the bench. He turned his head to look at the mean-looking mage across the station and gulped. He was a law enforcer used to working with criminals, yet never before had he felt such a promise of death. Instantly the he got the idea and began to back away from the girl; if the bloodthirsty man didn't want him anywhere near her, then he would keep his distance.

Lucy, seeing the man begin to leave, jumped from her seat.

"Wait!" she called. "Hold on a sec…" she practically yelled over a whistle of a train. Seeing the blond pursuing him, the guy felt terror strike him. He didn't want the wrath of the blond man just because the woman wanted to follow him. Lucy managed to get a grip on his arm, only to notice the threatening aura in the air. Why no one had made it far enough to ask her out became obvious. Slowly her head turned so she was looking at Laxus; her expression said everything.

The poor law enforcer who was still being held by Lucy's soft hand almost fainted when she looked at the other mage. Unable to help himself, he screamed before ripping his arm from her and running away, vanishing into the crowds.

Ignoring the strange looks people were giving her, Lucy marched up to Laxus. If she was any angrier, she would have smoke and fire spewing out her ears.

"No luck, eh?" Laxus laughed, the dark vibe he had been sending at the men vanishing without a trace.

"You sabotaged me by scaring them all off! That's cheating!" Lucy was on the verge of yelling. She stomped her foot; something Laxus reluctantly admitted was kind of cute when done by her. It made things bounce. Sighing, he got to his feet and stretched.

"I did not cheat. All I did was look at them." he said with a matter-of-fact tone before grinning at her. "You never said I couldn't look at them. Now...I believe you owe me something." Lucy was beyond livid, but she didn't want to deal with him any longer. She decided it would be better to just give him his stupid kiss and leave.

"Fine!" she snapped. Forcing herself to be lightning fast, she reached up and grasped his head with a firm grip. She yanked him down to her level, forcefully turned his head and planted a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek. She released him, wondering if she'd done it right; she never really kissed guys, and when she did it was a show of affection toward a brotherly figure.

"Hey! What the hell was that!" Laxus was very agitated. He didn't get the kiss he was thinking he would. He'd figured she would go for his cheek, and had planned on catching her off guard by turning his head at the last minute; he hadn't expected her to be so quick though. It was an innocent kiss that a child would give her big brother; such a thing made him feel dirty.

"You didn't say how you wanted it." She replied and kept walking. Growling about a waste of twenty minutes, Laxus followed her, the case slung over his shoulder.

"That's why you'll never get that happy-ever-after you want, you know. You promise one thing then skimp out at the last minute."

"You should have been specific." Lucy was glad he hadn't been, otherwise she would have been forced to give her first real kiss to him in the middle of a train station; that was not her idea of a romantic first kiss. She left the station and proceeded to lead the way through Magnolia's streets to Fairy Tail. "Besides, the only reason I never dated before is because of my father!" Lucy added taking note that he was following her for once.

"Uh-huh." Laxus made sure to sound unconvinced. He'd already figured as much, but it was more fun to tease her than to act understanding.

"It's true! Once when I was ten, I kissed a stable hand on the cheek to thank him for helping me; within the hour the kid was fired and kicked off father's property." Lucy said glancing over her shoulder. Laxus could tell that her temper was cooling off. "After that I figured that having a boyfriend, whether to rebel or to simply have someone, wasn't worth it. The guy would always suffer the most since my father never spoke to me except to give orders. Nothing I ever did was good enough for him to even notice me. I was always useless in his eyes." She paused in her little speech and Laxus heard her sigh. "Father kept shoving old, rich men he was doing business deals with in my direction hoping one would want me. I was miserable so I ran away. If it wasn't for my father, I know I could have fallen in love by now. I would have been happy long ago if it wasn't for him."

Memories of his own father danced on the edges of his thoughts, but he forced them down again. Laxus wasn't in the mood to remember that part of his past, so he decided to focus on something else…like how to fix his guild once he got it.

Lucy could tell where his thoughts went by the angry expression on his face; he always looked like he wanted to punch something when he thought about Fairy Tail, even when he was smiling.

"Why don't you like Fairy Tail as it is?" She managed to ask as she turned to walk backwards. Lucy knew the question would not make him happy. Laxus looked at her, a frown curving his lips. She watched his mouth as it opened to reply but someone behind her spoke first.

"Lucy. You've returned." A calm yet relieved sounding voice interrupted them. Lucy spun to greet her friend and Laxus rolled his eyes in agitation. The two had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't realized that they were almost to the front doors of the guild.

"Erza!" Lucy cried out with joy.

"Are you alright Lucy?" The beautiful red-headed warrior asked, giving Laxus a threatening look. "If he hurt you, just tell me and I'll crush him."

"You'll try." Laxus smirked, purposely egging the young woman on. He shoved the money case into Lucy's arms and the air became thick with electricity. Lucy glanced between the two and suddenly feared a conflict between them; it would only end badly.


	7. Chapter 7: Flying High

_Hello, hello! Here is chapter seven! I got it done as fast as I could; please applaud my speed typing. Anyway, to everyone who has been kind enough to read __**This Little Chickie**__, THANK YOU! Chapter eight will be up within a week or two hopefully. By the way, if you find a mistake let me know please and I'll fix it. I got confused occasionally while wrighting since there are so many characters I had to keep track of what they were doing and saying._

_Chapter Seven: Flying High_

Erza Scarlet, who had just been about to enter Fairy Tail, paused in mid-step; a flood of relief swept through her at the sight of Lucy's back moving towards the guild. From what she could tell, her young blond friend looked healthy and unharmed. The female warrior had been returning after visiting Lucy's house to see if she'd gone straight home instead of the guild to inform Natsu, Happy, and Gray that the girl had yet to return. Erza called out a greeting and was about to rush to her when she noticed Laxus following the girl. Erza had been extremely worried when Mirajane had informed her and anyone else who'd missed Laxus dragging the girl out of the guild about them going on a job together. The red-head wasn't sure what to expect when the two returned, but just in case he harmed Lucy in any way, Erza allowed her threat be known. She paused when she saw that the mages had been conversing as equals; normally when it came to Lucy, she wouldn't have been surprised, but Laxus changed everything. He looked down on everyone, yet he'd openly listened to the smaller mage and respond as if he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. Something wasn't quite right about that.

However, when she and Laxus stood against each other, prepared to fight, the blond looked worried for both of them. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two as she took in the situation.

"No! He didn't…I'm fine! See? He didn't hurt me." Lucy said spinning in place so Erza could see how healthy she was. "Though the trip wasn't really that much fun, the reward made it _totally_ worth it." Lucy forced a laugh despite the tense atmosphere. "So…I'm tired, let's go inside and get something to eat! I can't wait to see everyone again." Lucy said starting to walk towards the guild.

Laxus frowned at the girl. She was rushing off to her friends just like he knew she would and he didn't like it. Another two-person job suddenly sounded like a great idea to him, but he doubted she or her friends would just let him drag her off a second time. He watched as she swung the money case with each step, a fake smile plastered on her face. Erza did not look too convinced by her either, but she straightened up from her battle stance anyway. Laxus was about to leave since he didn't feel like putting up with the idiot weaklings, when he remembered something.

"Wait a minute there Chickie." He said catching her arm in a light grip.

"What?" She asked, blinking innocently up at him. He grinned and she shivered despite trying to not give Erza a reason to attack him.

"Just telling you that your portion of the reward is in that case you have. I already have mine." He informed her and Lucy was suddenly puzzled.

"When did you take yours'?" she asked.

"Back when I collected the money." He responded, turning on his heal and heading off down the street; he briefly wondered if he should stop for a drink somewhere.

"Where did you put it?"

"I _do_ have pockets."

"…Oh…duh." She sighed and smacked her forehead. "Wait! If this case always only contained my portion…then why didn't you give it to me to carry the five miles to the train station?" Laxus had wondered the same himself, but couldn't quite place his finger on the answer; it couldn't possibly have anything to do with wanting to help her.

"I figured you'd lose it." He said and Lucy let out a huff of annoyance. Scowling as the man lazily strolled away, she opened the case to make sure she got her proper share. The sight that met her eyes brought a gasp from her lips.

"There is no way this is just ten percent!" She gasped a bit too loudly, bringing some unwanted attention to her while she held a case containing a lot of Jewels.

"It's your thirty percent…just like I promised." She heard him call back as he continued on his way.

"B-but you said ten…" She said poking the money to make sure it was real.

"I remember thirty. Do you have a problem with it? I can just give you ten percent if you want and take back the rest." He paused in the street and looked back.

"NO!" She suddenly screamed slamming the case shut and locking it again. "I mean…thank you!"

"Later." He grinned and with that…he was gone. Lucy slowly turned to face Erza who had watched the whole interaction with a curious eye.

"H-he just gave me…" She was so overwhelmed that she had trouble doing simple math in her head. "…150,000,000 Jewels." She said so softly Erza had to lean closer to hear. "I'm rich." She squeaked out.

"…" Erza just stared at Lucy, surprised that Laxus and the girl got along so well.

"…Fifteen hundred…thousand…" Lucy mumbled again, hugging the case to her chest. "I think I need to sit down." She said softly and the older girl gently took her arm to lead her inside the guild.

The moment Lucy entered, everyone stopped what they were doing and the whole room seemed to sigh in relief. Cheers and calls welcoming her back pulled the blonde's attention from her new fortune; she smiled at the crowd and even took a hand off of the case to wave.

"Hi!" She said. "I'm back." Suddenly a blue flash zipped across the room and into Lucy's arms. "Hello Happy." She said smiling down at him.

"I thought Laxus used you as bait to feed to some monster." He said with his face snuggle against her shoulder. She had trouble hearing him because not only was his voice muffled but he had spoken softly. The blonde mage gently stroked his back and patted his head. "In a way I was bait, but not for a monster…sort of." She thought back to the Duke's giggling, slurping face and shivered. Her friends seated nearby noticed.

"Laxus didn't hurt you did you, did he, Lucy?" Nab asked from his seat to her right. Lucy responded with a grin. Macao and Wakaba turned from their food to check when they heard Nab's question.

"Nope. All he did was tease me a little, but he was almost nice at times." She laughed. She noticed Gray followed by Juvia weaving between tables and her smile only widened. She took a moment to take them all in. Erza sported her usual armor while Gray wore a plain black T-shirt and black pants. He had apparently already discarded his shoes since he was barefoot. The water mage following him was dressed in a cute dress with Fairy Tail emblems stitched all over it. "Hi." Lucy greeted. "I'm back."

"When we heard that Laxus dragged you off on a job with him, I seriously wondered if you'd come back in one piece." Gray crossed his arms and returned her smile. Juvia stood behind him and glared at Lucy despite her relief over the blonde mage's safe return. Though she did not know Laxus and had only seen him when he was picking fights with the others, she'd heard some nasty rumors about him.

"The train was due to arrive an hour ago, so when you weren't back yet, we all worried even more." Erza added from her place at Lucy's side.

"Laxus isn't exactly known for being nice to anyone he considers weaker than himself." Gray said. "Despite how sick he was, Natsu had the energy to keep insisting that Laxus would never hurt you because he's a member of Fairy Tail."

"Laxus didn't hurt me. He was kind of nasty but once I wasn't so scared of him he wasn't too bad." She said, purposely forgetting about the incidents at the camp, walking from the estate, and the Magnolia train station. Instead she focused on the missing member that she had yet to see. "Where's Natsu?"

"He's feeling sick again from eating the Etherion. It's weird; he's almost fine one minute and stumbling around in a daze the next. He's such an idiot he can't decide if he's sick or not." Gray answered pointing back the way he'd come.

"He passed out on the way back from our job and I had to carry him back." Erza informed them.

Lucy followed the ice mage's finger and headed in the direction her good friend the dragon slayer was as the others followed her. She still held Happy with one arm; gently petting him and gripping her money case against her chest with the other.

The moment she spotted the Salamander's pink hair, Lucy made a beeline for the hunched over figure. As she approached, she slowed to observe just how rotten he looked and the others passed her to sit. Her friend, though she couldn't see his face, looked awful. She slowly continued her approach and gently placed a soft palm on his back. She patted his shoulder before moving to sit along with the others.

Gray sat next to Erza with Juvia on his other side while Lucy slid into the spot between Natsu and the older girl. Happy found a spot on the table in front of the sickly dragon slayer.

"Hey Natsu." She said softly to the depressingly pathetic looking boy. He groaned in reply and made a noise as if he would puke before slowing looking up.

"Lucy?"

"Hi." She said smiling at him warmly.

"Hi." He responded before sending a weak glare at the others. "I told you Laxus wouldn't hurt her. We're all family; he would never seriously try to hurt anyone in Fairy Tail." Lucy smiled at his blind faith in those he considered as a friend; she almost wished Laxus thought the same way as the dragon slayer. What stopped her was the fact that having one major goof ball around all the time was quite enough.

"Look Natsu, the guy is a real a-" Gray began but was drowned out at the end by a loud moan from Natsu.

"I understand why you want to believe in him so much, but when he took Lucy away for three days without any way of us knowing whether she was alright or not it was a bit too much." Erza said. Lucy knew she had a point but chose to say nothing; she would not publically slander the man who made her rich, even if he was still a selfish, arrogant, vulgar jerk that took advantage of her fear of him.

"What happened on you job, anyway?" Happy asked drawing her attention to him.

"I'll explain that in a minute once everyone settles down." Lucy replied.

"I'm going to get a drink. You guys want anything?" Gray suddenly said starting to get to his feet and pulling his shirt off as he went.

"I'll go with you and help!" Juvia said enthusiastically.

"I'll have something cold and fruity. Whatever's fine." Lucy answered.

"I want a mug of fish juice." Happy chipped in, smiling happily.

"I'll have a slice of strawberry cake." Erza ordered.

"I feel so sick…" Natsu moaned and Gray smirked.

"That's what you get for eating random stuff you find during a fight." The ice mage teased.

"I won and saved Erza…shut up…" The dragon slayer replied in a pathetic voice. As Gray walked past him, he patted Natsu's spiky, pink hair and chuckled.

"And now you're so pathetic and weak it's almost cute."

"Stupid popsicle…I'll show you…" Natsu moaned staggering to his feet before stumbling after Gray and Juvia. The three disappeared into a crowd of visitors around the bar and Lucy smiled contently.

"Hey Lucy!" Levy skipped up catching the celestial mage by surprise. "I'm so glad to see your back!" The small blue-haired girl had her hair pulled back with a headband and was dressed in a short, yellow dress with black leggings and soft brown boots. Jet and Droy remained at their table, but watched their teammate with protective eyes.

"Hi Levy." The blonde replied while the fire and ice users were heard arguing over the noise, though they were obviously not nearly as animated as they usually were. The blonde smiled at the smaller girl and noticed that she was hiding something behind her back. Levy slipped into what was Natsu's seat next to Lucy and slid closer to give her friend a welcoming hug.

"You seem okay, but are you _really completely_ alright?" Levy asked pulling back again with concern evident in her voice.

"I'm perfectly fine." Lucy responded once more without hesitation; she could understand why everyone would ask.

"How was your job? Did you get to see Laxus fight?" Levy asked much to the celestial mage's surprise. It was the first question that didn't concern the possibility of violence to her person that she'd heard since she returned.

"I saw him fight, but it was over so fast that I didn't actually see anything other than bad guys getting barbequed." The blonde chuckled and Levy giggled. Natsu, Gray, and Juvia returned from the bar with the drinks and Erza's cake. They all settled back in their seats, though Natsu was now on the other side of Levy. He slumped against the table and almost looked like he was dying.

"He is one of Fairy Tail's strongest." Levy said.

"I know…he wiped out an entire assassination guild with one move in a matter of seconds." Lucy agreed. She paused for a moment, her thoughts on the last few days and how the job with Laxus wasn't that bad. Now that it was all over, Lucy could admit that she sort of enjoyed arguing with the man; it was a way to sharpen her tongue and, when he wasn't verbally attacking her or her friends, matching wits with the lightning mage was rather exciting for her. Though she would never admit it out loud, but she was sure that if they ever went on another quest together, she might actually have fun now that she understood how he worked. It would never happen again though; Lucy was positive that their job together was a one-time deal.

Remembering her friend's first question, Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to the blue-haired mage. "Anyway, the job went great considering how _awful_ the client was." She said quickly.

"What do you mean?" The blue-haired mage asked. Lucy looked around to see that Levy, Happy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, and even Natsu all had their attention on her; they wanted to hear her story.

"Well…the job was to escort Duke Sawarr Junelle from his town house in Oshibashi to his family's estate. He apparently upset the lady who was master of an assassination guild and the job was to protect him. _My_ part in the job was to sit and put up with the little pervert while Laxus did all the real work. The only reason he took me with him was because to accept the job, at least one member had to be an S-class mage and one had to be a young woman. Or a single person could have done it if they happened to be both…like Erza. The Duke was a real handful; I couldn't let my guard down for a minute."

"The pervert." Levy said.

"Disgusting." Erza agreed.

"Anyway," Lucy continued, "we traveled by train to Oshibashi, agreed to the job terms on the first day. The next day, Laxus and I met with the Duke and his guards and began our journey by horse-drawn carriage to the estate. Halfway there though, the assassination guild, Skull Tears I think they were called, ambushed us but Laxus took them all out with one attack. _I _put out the fire."

"There was a fire?" Happy asked excitedly.

"Yeah…the lightning started it. We camped out for the night and the next day, that's this morning by the way, we arrived at the estate. Once we received our reward, Laxus and I walked five miles to the nearest town, got on another train and came home. I survived and got thirty present of the reward." She said, a huge grin spreading across her face. She stroked the black case that was set on the table before her lovingly.

"I'm glad you got something good from the experience." One bookworm said to the other.

"So am I."

"Lucy, the day after you left this came out." Levy said pulling whatever she had hidden behind her back out and placing it on the table. Lucy looked down to see the latest copy of the Sorcerer Magazine; the one she had tried so hard to get the reporter's attention for. It was hard for her to believe that a little over a week had passed since the incident had occurred. It was the day after that she had fallen ill. "You're in it Lucy…look!" Levy said opening the magazine to a page featuring a picture of Gajeel singing on stage with her dressed in a bunny costume in the background. Lucy blushed at the memory but Levy wasn't done. "Here too!" The blue-haired girl flipped to another page with a close up of Lucy. The blond smiled softly. It felt like such a long time ago; she almost felt nostalgic.

"Thank you, Levy. This makes me feel even better." She said smiling at the other girl. The two grinned at each other for a moment until Erza spoke.

"I was surprised when I saw you and Laxus getting along as well as you two were. I'm not used to seeing him be almost civil to anyone." Lucy was relatively surprised that Erza thought that they looked like they were on friendly terms, but she supposed that, since he wasn't cussing her out and even gave her three times her original portion of the reward, he _had_ treated her better than he did before. She wanted to think that he'd come to respect her to some degree, but refused to get her hopes up.

"What do you mean by that?" Gray asked, leaning over the table to see Erza's face.

"They were walking to the guild together having a conversation. He was _paying attention_ to what she was saying. The way he was acting around her…it reminded me of the old days before he got like _that_…I think he might like her." Lucy held back a snort. She had the sudden urge to say, 'you guys have no idea', but held back. They didn't need to know about how he had been just as bad as the Duke when it came to hounding her. She suddenly noticed Gray, Juvia, Happy, and Erza staring at her, waiting for a comment. Natsu couldn't seem to muster the energy to lift his head.

"It's nothing funny, I swear. We just came to an understanding is all." _He doesn't act like a pig and I don't break his nose._

"I told you guys Laxus isn't a bad guy." Natsu mumbled turning green as he caught the scent of Erza's half-eaten cake. Gray sighed.

"He's not exactly the nicest in Fairy Tail either." The ice mage replied.

"So? That doesn't mean you all have to start freaking…" Natsu paused in mid-sentence to shake himself from a sudden dizzy spell. "…out just because he decides to bring Lucy on a job."

"You just don't get it." Gray sighed.

"Gray-sama is so kind and smart." Juvia sighed. Lucy chose that moment to tune out of their argument and instead thought about what she should buy now that she could afford to spoil herself. She wouldn't go crazy, but have a little fun.

"Are you calling me stupid, moron!" Natsu growled, his head snapping up and showing more energy than he had in days.

"What do you think, idiot!" Gray retorted. Both mages jumped to their feet, though one more gracefully than the other.

They then proceeded to exchange insults and grapple with each other until Natsu yelled, "At least I don't run around naked!"

"I'm not naked! I still have my pants-HEY! Where'd they go?" Gray gasped as he looked down to only see his striped boxers.

"You took them off, ice-tard." Natsu said almost smugly; he still sounded rather pathetic.

"What'd you call me, you flame-brain?"

"Ice-tard! ICE-TARD!"

"That's it." Gray dropped a sizable chunk of ice between Natsu's skin and his sash. Natsu yelped at the sudden cold before his body heat melted it. He instantly retaliated.

"Take this!" Natsu yelled as he tried to punch Gray, but the other mage ducked. The salamander's punch had so much force that he ended up losing his balance and landing face-first into Erza's cake just as she was about to have the last bite. The red-head stared at her plate with a mix of shock and sadness. Levy saw the growing storm and leaned away, pulling at Lucy's arm in warning. The blond was too preoccupied with hugging her money case though.

"Hahaha! Serves you right you…you…" Gray's voice faded when he saw Erza's expression and froze in fear. Meanwhile Natsu stumbled away from the female warrior to hide behind Gray.

"My…cake…" She growled. She pulled a plank off the bench and prepared to swing. The two boys screamed rather comically as she attacked.

Gray dodged and Natsu, despite feeling incredibly ill, managed to duck down in time; though only barely. However, Lucy, who was sitting right behind him, smiling fondly at her case of money, was not so lucky. Erza, in her fit of rage, swung the piece of wood at the boys and missed; instead she accidentally hit Lucy's case. The black leather bound box was ripped from Lucy's fingers with enough force that it flew up and across the guild, bursting through the newly-built ceiling and vanished with a twinkle into the bright blue sky.

No one noticed the black case disappearing into the distance except for the shocked blond and Levy. Erza had turned to inflict the punishment she'd decided for the boys while Natsu and Gray ran for their lives. Lucy stared in shock at her hands where she'd been holding not only her rent money but also her funds for new clothes, groceries, and emergency stash. Slowly, her head turned to stare across the large hall at the money case-sized hole. Then it all clicked in her head.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! MYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MOOONNNEEEYYYYYYY! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucy screamed jumping to her feet and accidently knocking Levy over. She did not hesitate before making a mad dash for the door. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Her desperate eyes darted across the sky, looking to see if her precious money was still airborne. When she couldn't see the case, she felt tears begin to form. She had no idea where it could have gone.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Happy asked following her from the guild with Erza dragging the boys and Juvia complaining about the treatment of Gray behind him. Suddenly all the stress and suffering over the past few days hit her and, with a vicious glint in her eye, she spun around to face them. Ignoring Natsu's moans of discomfort, Gray's tortured expression caused by Juvia's clinging to him, and Erza's concern, Lucy pointed her finger at them and let them have it.

"I just put up with three days of being dragged around, insulted, teased, and groped! I had to fend off two perverts, wear a big, stupid dress, and all of this after a week of being horribly ill! The only good thing that came from all my efforts just got SENT TO THE MOON BY YOU THREE! WHAT DO YOU THINK IS WRONG?" She ended up grabbing Natsu by his scarf and violently shaking him; tears flowing down her cheeks as she sobbed in anger and frustration.

Natsu's already unsteady stomach was not helped by the upset girl jerking him all over the place; he groaned and tried to get away from his friend before it was too late, but she continued to keep a firm grip on his scarf.

"Ah…Lucy…You may want to stop…Natsu is…" Gray said as he and Erza noticed the new problem and tried to tell Lucy, though by that time it was already too late; Natsu leaned over and threw up all over Lucy's feet.

Immediately the girl froze; her tears stopped instantly. Without looking down or at any of her friends, she released Natsu who fell over so he was sprawled out on his back. She straightened up and whimpered.

"I'm going home." She said, her bottom lip trembling. "I'll see you all tomorrow." With that, the defeated young mage turned and slowly headed for home, pausing only to catch herself when she slipped in the vomit on and at her feet.

"We should find her reward for her." Gray said, a frown on his face as he watched the depressed blond stumble away; people keeping a wide distance from her and gagging at the smell radiating from her. Erza nodded in agreement. Juvia frowned in jealousy over Gray showing concern for Lucy, but her pity for her new friend was much more powerful.

"Gray…you start at the west side of town; Juvia you search the southwest. Happy you scout the northwest side by air. I'll go recruit Elfman, Cana, and anyone else I can get my hands on. Now go! I want every inch of Magnolia combed until we find Lucy's black case!" Erza order before she marched back into the guild and started yelling orders as Happy took to the sky and the other two raced off. Fairy Tail members began to emerge from the building as people looked on in surprise and curiosity. Within a minute, only one wizard remained on the street. Natsu lay forgotten before the guild; passing Magnolia residents stepped unconcernedly over him as they went about their business. Only Natsu's position on the ground had changed (someone accidentally kicking him when they didn't notice him) by the time the day finally ended.


	8. Chapter 8: It's a Problem

_I'm really sorry for taking so long! Besides being busy, I had trouble getting in the mood to write a decent chapter since this one has no Lucy and Laxus interaction. To make it up to everyone who reads the story, I made sure this was the longest chapter yet. Anyway, thank you every one who's read my story so far and a double thanks to everyone who reviews. This chapter follow's the brilliant original closely, but I do change some stuff. I'll try to get chapter nine out soon, but it may take at __**least**__ a week or two (possibly longer). Hope you enjoy!_

_Chapter Eight: It's A Problem_

Lucy slumped into the chair by her desk and sighed. After getting cleaned up and soaking in the bathtub for over an hour, she felt somewhat better, though the depression of losing so much money would weigh heavily in her heart for some time. She gently tapped her fingers against the desk and slowly glanced around her apartment, wondering why she was the only one in it; normally it would have at least Natsu seated in her kitchen. Even though he was quite ill, the blonde still thought her friend would have managed to drag himself to her sofa or simply collapse on her floor. She let her eyes drift some more before sighing again.

The worst part was that she had done exactly as Laxus had predicted. When he found out, she could just imagine how much fun he would have teasing her. Lucy was ashamed that she had lost such a large sum so quickly; she should have looked for it instead of going home, but she had been at the end of her rope. She was exhausted and filthy.

Lucy stood from her seat and moved to her bed, thinking that it was getting late; she was tired and needed rest. She could worry about what she would do about the loss of her fortune and the question of how she would pay her rent in the morning. Already dressed in her sleep clothes (since it was a warm night, her attire consisted of a tank top and underwear), she slid into her soft bed and let her body sink into the soft cushiony mattress. She closed her tired eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.

"Lucy! We found your money!" Happy yelled as he suddenly flew through her open window. Immediately Lucy was wide awake and sat up in a flash.

"Where? Where is it? Do you have it?" She asked grabbing the blue cat and staring at him with upmost seriousness.

"I found it, but there is a slight problem." He said frowning slightly.

"What is it? Where is my money?" Lucy blurted out and Happy leaned away as her grip on him tightened.

"You'll have to see for yourself." He said and the girl released him so she could get dressed. She slid pajama pants and a thin jacket over her sleepwear and pulled a pair of fuzzy slippers onto her feet. She grabbed her keys and ran from her apartment, the door swinging shut behind her.

"Where is it Happy?" Lucy questioned the moment her feet touched the road. The blue cat flew down from her window and circled her head as he responded.

"We have to hurry! Follow me!" Happy zipped through the air and down the street. The blond mage wasted no time chasing after him. She raced after the blue blur, her slippers slapping the stones under her feet and leaving an echo in her wake. She wondered how far it was until they reached their destination; what couldn't he just bring the money to her?

Lucy was getting tired and her side was starting to ach from sprinting across the town. Happy led her to the edge of town and toward an old, wood building that threatened to collapse with every slight breeze that met its walls. Around it was a rusted metal fence and gate and the lights were. Not that surprised that the money case had ended up so far from the guild (it had been Erza who'd hit it after all), Lucy was forced to squint through the darkness to make out the building now that the two members of Fairy Tail had left the range of Magnolia's streetlights and the building's lights weren't that bright.

"Magnolia Orphanage." Lucy read out loud when she was close enough to make out the large, dark letters painted on the sign above the gate. A feeling of dread filled her and she forced her legs to move faster despite the protest her muscles made.

"It's in there." Happy said cheerfully, though Lucy couldn't see why. Lucy stopped in front of the gate and leaned against it; her breathing was heavy and labored after running across Magnolia. Once she was able to breathe somewhat normally and her side didn't hurt so much, Lucy pushed the gate open and stepped onto the Orphanage's grounds. The lawn and flower garden around the building was obviously well cared for even if the house was old and in need of repair. As she approached the door she couldn't help but notice that someone was doing their best to keep the place clean and in working order, but no one could defeat time and the age of a house. The residents were obviously poor, which made Lucy's feeling of dread increase.

She stepped onto the small porch and knocked on the door gently. She heard energetic voices of children call out that they would "get it" and stomping was herd throughout the place as if a heard of children were running. When the door was yanked open and Lucy was met by a large group of kids, she was surprised to see at least a dozen smiles beam up at her.

"Hello!" A little girl holding the door open said.

"Are you the really nice friend that Erza, Grey, and Happy mentioned and that Emma wants to thank?" A boy questioned, his head tilting.

"Um…I guess." Lucy replied, wondering who Emma was and why she would want to thank her. Another girl beside the first asked in a soft tone if she would like to come in. Smiling gently, Lucy was about to ask if she could talk to the adult in charge when Happy flew past her head and sailed down the hall past the children.

"Happy!" A majority of the children screamed excitedly and raced after him. "The kitty is back!"

Lucy allowed herself to be ushered in by one of the older kids and followed the group down the narrow hallway with peeling paint and squeaky floorboards to a small room with about two dozen young ones ranging from toddlers to mid-teens; they were either sitting happily around Erza and Grey or plopped down before a middle-aged woman in a red chair. A warm fire lit the room and the space was carefully furnished, even though nothing in it was of any real financial value. The woman was dressed in a modest brown dress and had her greying hair in a tight bun. Her expression was odd; it held relief and shock. Now that Lucy looked around, she realized that all of the children were in their pajamas and that they were all well fed since they all looked healthy and happy. The woman though was rather thin despite the thick sleeves hiding her arms. Lucy's eyes suddenly landed on the black case at the woman's feet.

Immediately Lucy gasped and looked at Erza and Grey who looked back at her with pleading expressions.

"Hello, you must be Miss Lucy." The woman said drawing the blonde's attention back to her. She sounded rather breathless and the blonde mage could hear the gratefulness pouring from the woman's tone. "I am Emma, I want to thank you for your donation." She continued with complete earnestness. Lucy did her best to keep her jaw from dropping. What did she mean by donation?

Emma stood up and smiled happily and hugged Lucy taking the girl by surprise. The children laughed and jumped onto their feet, running to initiate a group hug. Laughing awkwardly, Grey and Erza allowed themselves to be dragged into the mass of love and happiness. Happy was snagged by the tail and pulled into a death-grip by a toddler.

"You have no idea how much you've helped us. Though the way you sent it to us was quite…creative, your kindness will forever give you a special place in our hearts." Emma said, emotion filling her as tears began to slide down her cheeks. Lucy was in a state of shock; she patting the woman on the back and returned the hug unconsciously, not really knowing what to think. There was no way the lady was saying what she thought she were saying.

"I'm sorry, but what-"Lucy began, but Grey cut in.

"It's getting late and it is about time we all go home and let these kids get some sleep." He said grabbing Lucy and began to drag her from the huddling orphans. "We'll explain later." Grey hissed in Lucy's ear. Erza smiled at the kids and told them to behave and maybe they will visit again sometime.

Once the small group was outside and the door closed behind them, Grey released a long sigh.

"Well, that couldn't have gone worse." He said. Happy, who was eating fish crackers that had been given to him a one of the children, added cheerfully, "Aye. But I like them", though not as understandable due to his full mouth.

"I agree on both accounts. That was the problem." Erza said and the other two nodded. Lucy stared at the door before looking between her friends.

"Uh…guys…" She began softly, but the others didn't hear her.

"Let's go home; I'm tired and it's chilly out here." The ice mage mentioned. Happy finished his crackers and looked up at him.

"I think it's a nice night. You're just complaining because you naked. Idiot." Happy snickered and Grey grabbed him by his fuzzy, big head and lifted him to eye level.

"You know, just because Natsu isn't here right now, doesn't mean that you need to make up for it."

Erza, who'd had enough of the little display, stepped off the porch and walked down the path to the gate. The two males followed, though more slowly; meanwhile the young blonde was left to slowly stumble after them, still waiting for an explanation. Obviously they were trying to put it off, but she needed to know why she was still broke even though they had found her fortune.

"Wait, wait, wait." Lucy suddenly came out of her shocked daze and stopped at the gate, the others coming to a halt as well. "Hold on, let me think about this and get it all straight. I go through hell for my money, only to lose it. Then right as I'm about to go to sleep so I can get a job tomorrow, Happy flies through my window yelling that you guys found it and that I had to come quick. I get here to find out that I somehow accidentally donated my money to an orphanage…am I right?" Lucy asked.

"That's about right." Erza said, a serious expression adorned her face.

"How did this happen?" The blonde squeaked out.

"Well…we felt bad about what happened, so we decided to look for it; we got the whole guild involved." Grey began. "Anyway, we ended up losing Juvia somewhere and the others got tired and went home after a few hours. By the time it was dark, we were about to call it quits for the night as well, but Happy came flying at us screaming about how he found it." Lucy looked at the blue cat expectantly.

"I saw the children find it in the tall grass by their house and told them it was yours." Happy said smiling.

"Then who gave them the idea that I gave it to them?" Lucy asked through gritted teeth.

"I was going to go tell everyone, but the kids wanted to play and said they'd give me fish. At some point Emma came and asked what was in the case and I told her it was money from my really rich and kind friend and that you love kids."

"WHY DID YOU TELL THEM THAT?" Lucy yelled and Happy yelped and flew away from her.

"Because you are." He replied zipping away down the street with Lucy after him.

"I'M NOT RICH; I'M BROKE!" She screeched. Erza and Grey sighed and shook their heads as they followed.

"If only it wasn't an orphanage of sweet, kind children." Erza said and Grey nodded.

Lucy gradually headed for home, but not until after Erza gave a complete description of the situation. Apparently Emma and the children were surviving off of donations and that it was barely enough for food, let alone other important financial responsibilities. The house needed repairs and Emma had taxes she had to pay but there was no money to do either. The money in the case could save the Orphanage and when Happy had said what he'd said, the kind older woman had misinterpreted his statement as a donation from Lucy. Overwhelmed, Emma had fainted and Happy had gone to fetch Erza and Grey for help. Without knowing the situation completely, they'd told Happy to fetch their unfortunate friend so they could present the case to her and fix the mess they'd caused. It was after getting Emma into the house that they learned of the misunderstanding and suddenly found themselves dreading the arrival of Lucy. They didn't have the heart to correct the residents of the orphanage; taking away all hope of being able to stay on the property would break the mages' hearts. If only they hadn't sent Happy to fetch Lucy…

The girl stumbled into her home and collapsed onto a chair. Her head fell to the kitchen table with a loud 'thunk' and she leaned against the wooden surface; she was exhausted both physically and mentally. She knew Laxus was going to laugh his head off when he heard, but at that point she didn't care.

Even Lucy didn't have the heart to tell them that it was a mistake and that they are still doomed. At least she lost her hard-earned money to a deserving cause; it made her feel a little better to know that she helped someone in need, even if it was not intentional. Though the children at the Magnolia Orphanage now had a way to keep the place they call home, Lucy was still faced with the problem and needed to solve it as soon as possible. She needed another job to pay her rent; the sooner the better.

Lucy slowly stood from her seat and removed the extra clothes before crawling into bed for the second time that night. She curled into a ball and released another sigh. As she began to close her eyes, a small part of her saw the humor of the situation and she let out a small giggle. Within a minute after that, Lucy was sound asleep.

* * *

><p>Laxus had only intended to get a drink when he entered to King Bar. The town was small and he didn't think such a little place would have any trouble, and he was relatively correct. He didn't know what the town's name was; only that it was within a few hours walking distance from Magnolia and had a low population. Shortly after arriving at the guild the day before, the powerful mage decided he needed some distance from Fairy Tail and its members; expecially a certain celestial mage that he wanted to drag off again. He started walking and by dark he came to an inn, which happened to be the only one in town. The next day he woke up in the afternoon with the desire to drink away his frustration over the guild's condition (among other things); he headed straight for the only bar in town: the King Bar. It wasn't much, but it would do.<p>

Laxus was just stepping across the threshold when a loud, mocking voice reached his ears. He paused in the doorway and looked to the table where the individual was seated with his two buddies. They were gathered at a small table with a latest copy of _Sorcerer_ opened between them.

"Those Fairy Tail idiots have no class!" The mage's eye twitched, but he remained silent where he was. The conversation between the trio continued.

"It baffles me why they have any kind of reputation at all!" Slowly, Laxus stepped toward their table. The group remained oblivious to his approaching presence.

"Why would any guild have a swimming pool? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Look at this guy! He looks like a real wimp!" One of the men said and Laxus' eyes narrowed and waited for them to notice his presence; the fact that they hadn't already only pointed out how stupid they were. One finally stopped laughing long enough to look up, only to meet the temperamental man's piercing glare. Immediately the others looked too and they all gasped in surprise and fear.

"H-he's Laxus from Fairy Tail!" One blurted out and Laxus felt like saying 'duh', but resisted. He kept his expression set in a hard glare and waited for the trio to scram.

"What's he doing in a boondocks tavern like this?" Another questioned out loud while jumping away from the imposing man.

"S-sorry! P-please forgive us!" The last one gasped as he leapt from his seat and scrambled for the door, closely followed by his friends. Laxus watched them disappear between the swinging doors and his hands curled into fists.

"Way to drag the guild's ass through the mud old man!" He growled lowly, but managed to keep his cool. As much as he hated to admit it, the three idiots were right; Fairy Tail was full of nothing but weaklings. He was about to find a seat and order a drink when another voice interrupted his intentions, though this time it was actually directed at him.

"Heeey! Gya ha ha ha! That's a VIP for you! Can send people scurrying with just a glare! It makes me all tingly inside!" A big, ape-like man with a dark curly afro, fingers full of rings, and sunglasses said from his seat on a stool across the room. He was a mage as well, but Laxus could tell he was all talk in an instant. The guy continued his little speech. "So you're supposed to be Master Markov's grandkid? You got into the guild how? A favor from granddaddy, huh? How pathetic!" Laxus slowly turned his body so it faced the guy. "Oooh, now I'm so scared!" Laxus' expression remained stoic even though his blood was beginning to boil; the only thing he hated more than insults on his guild were insults on his strength.

The bartender Dallas was worried about his little establishment. Though his bar was located in such a small town where it was rare, he knew trouble when he saw it. He could tell the moment the Fairy Tail mage strolled in that he was in a bad mood and not to be messed with, but apparently not everyone had his commonsense. Then again…Zato was a member of _that_ guild, so he just might be able to take on the famously powerful Fairy Tail mage. Dallas the bartender, despite his fear over the effect the clash between the two mages would have, managed to voice his opinion to them, though it had no effect.

"Zato…could you please stop trying to pick a fight?" He asked softly. The mage laughed it off.

"Don't worry, Dallas! I could pick a dozen fights with anybody from that useless guild, and your bar wouldn't get a scratch!" He continued to laugh and Laxus spoke.

"Zato? Never heard of you." He commented. Of course he hadn't; the mage before him…Zato…was weak, ugly, and apparently annoyingly stupid. No one would _want _to know about him. Zato didn't think that way though.

"Yeah? Sure! I work in the shadows, and keep all of my jobs private! I don't get my pictures plastered all over magazines like some idiots!" He laughed some more and Laxus' eye twitched at the comment. It was then that he decided that it couldn't hurt to crush the guy. Feeling excited about the fight, as minuscule as it would be, and angry over the smartass comments, electricity escaped from his control and danced around him like an aura. He didn't bother to reign it back in; he knew he looked even more intimidating that way. His glare intensified and he took a step closer to Zato.

"I see you feel like dying. Do you want some help?" Laxus questioned in a sarcastic tone and the bartender let out a yelp.

"P-please, sir! I-I wouldn't try to face down Zato...he's…" The bartender warned, still unsure if he should face such a formidable opponent with such a guild backing him up.

"Step outside!" Laxus growled, cutting Dallas the bartender off.

"Gya haaa! The one going outside will be…" Zato chuckled as he leaned forward so he could push his sunglasses back up. "YOU AND ONLY YOU!" His head snapped up and a there was a slight flash from his left eye. Laxus didn't bother to react since it didn't matter; Natsu's little punches had more force behind them from the guy's magic based attack. He would let him have his little hit so he could see just how out of his league he was. Still…Laxus ended up flying through the wall and landing in the street. It didn't hurt him, but it did make a mess. Onlookers screamed and began to scatter, running for a safer, magic-free area. Meanwhile, Zato believed he'd won with a single blow and was not shy about voicing it. "Gya ha ha ha ha! Like I said, Fairy Tail is full of wimps! Maybe I'll just go out hunting for big-jugged fairies tomorrow!"

The foolish man laughed, his head pointed up so he did not see the member of Fairy Tail sit up and brush off the attack casually. Laxus was in the middle of getting up, but Zato's newest comment made him freeze. Big-jugged fairies…an image of Lucy flashed through his mind; immediately Laxus felt a fresh wave of fresh anger rip through him. Not even bothering to get to his feet like had had originally planned, the blonde man placed his hands on the ground and released a powerful bolt of lightning. The idiot named Zato only managed to notice just before he was electrocuted.

The force of the powerful mage's attack sent the man flying into the air. He landed heavily on his side; burnt to a crisp and unconscious. Now that the he had taken care of that, Laxus pushed Lucy to the back of him mind and concentrated on the real matter at hand; the state of Fairy Tail was the real problem.

"I can't stand it! Just when did you decide to make our guild a laughingstock…old man!" Laxus growled out angrily. After a moment, he decided to forget the drink; he was returning to Magnolia immediately.

* * *

><p>"I wonder if there are any jobs I can handle on my own…" Lucy said to herself as she stared at the request board. If she couldn't find one herself, she would have to ask Mirajane again. After overhearing her, Nab, who was standing beside her looked at the girl and frowned.<p>

"On your own? You mean you're not going with Natsu, Grey, and the others?" He asked.

"There's a story behind that…Grey was assigned to watch over Juvia's until she settles into the guild completely and Juvia wanted to do another job alone with him. Erza's new armor doesn't fit right so she is getting it fixed."

"What about Natsu?"

"He's still feeling sick. Look." Lucy replied pointing across the guild at Natsu. He was swaying in his seat as Happy tried to feed him fire; the normally energetic fire-eating mage flat-out refused it. Both Nab and Lucy released sighs at their mutual friend's condition. "I am in so much trouble. I have to get a job so I can pay my rent since I lost my reward from my last one three days ago…" Lucy trailed off for a moment and briefly thought about Laxus. She had not seen him since they'd parted ways at the guild's entrance. What she found odd though was that she had been looking for him; every time someone entered Fairy Tail, she would look to see if it was him. Realizing she had stopped in mid-sentence, Lucy quickly continued. "Anyway, I really need a job. Nab, help me! Please!" Lucy begged and the other mage frowned even more then he'd already been.

"You best not rely on me. I only go on jobs that nobody but me can accomplish."

"What does _that _mean exactly?" She asked, frustrated. When Nab didn't answer, she turned back to the request board to search for a possible source of income.

"Monster hunt…deep sea treasure hunt…oh, what's this?" Lucy smiled slightly at her lucky find. "A teacher at a magic school! For thirty thousand! Now that's a job I can-" She girl was interrupted by a large, tanned hand covered by a fingerless black glove that grabbed her target before her fingers could brush the paper of the flyer. "Hey! I saw that first!" She snapped as she turned to face Gajeel. After dancing onstage in a bunny suit while he sang and surviving a job with Laxus, the iron dragon slayer just didn't seem that scary to her anymore.

"It's first taken, first served right?" He said nonchalantly, reminding her of the other pompous…individual that she knew. Lucy turned to face him completely, her hands rose to rest on her hips and her legs shifting to a sturdier stance.

"Aren't you completely wrong for that kind of work!" She exclaimed. Gajeel sneered and glared at her.

"What jobs I choose to do is my business! Get out of my face, bunny girl!" He snarled with every intention of intimidating the petite blonde girl, but she remained unfazed. No matter what he did, Laxus was simply scarier than him, even if he'd been a part of the guild since before she came while Gajeel had been Fairy Tail's enemy only a few months before.

"Hey! Hey!" She called after the iron dragon slayer, but to no avail; she had lost his attention. "I'm so frustrated. He's almost as bad as Laxus!" She growled out. She looked around for someone to help her since that had been the only job she could do on her own. The first individual her eyes landed on who could possibly teach the job-steeling guy to not take the simple jobs when he was so powerful was gasping for air and turning greener by the second. Lucy stepped toward her friend and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Natsu! Hey, Natsu! Snap out of it! Go and tell that jerk off for taking my job!" She said shaking him. He made a gagging noise and she stopped immediately, but her hands remained on shoulders. She was prepared to jump out of the way at the first sign of him throwing up; she'd learned her lesion the last time he'd emptied his stomach all over her feet. When the sickly dragon slayer opened his mouth to speak, the girl leaned forward slightly to hear him better.

"Your underarms really stink." Natsu mumbled and her jaw dropped.

"You're the worst and they do not!" Lucy yelled punching him in the face. He stumbled back a step before turning away from her. For a moment Lucy though she might have hurt him until he hiccupped and tripped slightly before managing to find his balance.

"I'm going to take off after all. I don't feel so good…" He said and Lucy gasped.

"Aye." Happy agreed from his place by Natsu's side.

"Wait! Let's go on a job, please? You know how I can't pay my rent right. And you are partially at fault for that! Come on!" The celestial mage pleaded, grabbing the dragon slayer's scarf. She pulled on it, trying to make her friend cease his exit, but the long fabric came loose from its position around Natsu's neck and the young mage fell on her rear. The boy managed to keep on his feet, though her did stagger quite a bit, and continued to head for the guild's door.

"See you Lucy…" He mumbled without looking back. He was too tired and nauseous to even notice that she had fallen over let alone that he had left his precious scarf.

"I think you should just rest up today." Happy stated walking at Natsu's side.

"Yeah…" The sickly dragon layer agreed as he stumbled away and out the guild. Sitting on the floor with the scarf still clutched in her hands, Lucy wanted to cry; she was so doomed if she couldn't manage to get money for her rent soon.

Desperate, Lucy went to Mirajane to ask about any jobs she might have saved, but no luck there. She begged everyone her eyes landed on to help her do a job, but they were all already busy.

Eventually she lost all hope and decided to head home once more and try again the next day. She summoned Plue to keep her company on her way home.

Walking down Strawberry Street next to the river, she told the spirit about her day and how she had been unsuccessful in finding work. Glancing at her hand, she examined Natsu's filthy scarf that he had left with her; she decided to wash it for him.

Upon arriving at her home, Lucy was surprised once more that no one was waiting for her, though she really shouldn't have been. Natsu was sick, Happy was with him, Erza was getting her armor fixed, and Grey was on a job with Juvia. Sighing, she decided to take a bath. During said bath, Lucy was surprised when she discovered that Plue drooped when placed in hot water; it was something to make her evening a little more interesting.

After getting all cleaned up, she made sure her skin was clear and smooth and that her hair was properly taken care of. She then wrote some of her book and brushed her teeth, all with Plue keeping her company. When Plue returned to the spirit world and it was finally time to crawl into bed, Lucy snuggled under the thick comforter and hugged her pillow. Her eyes closed and she released a sigh of contentment before realizing that she wasn't alone in her apartment after all. In fact, there was a disturbingly warm, fleshy feeling form in her bed beside her. Now that she thought about it, she could also hear soft snoring that she had not noticed before. Slowly her head turned and her eyes widened. Sleeping next to her in her bed was the pink haired boy and his blue cat friend. Lucy let out a shocked scream that woke the intruders.

"Mm…good morning, Lucy…" Natsu mumbled groggily, a sloppy smile on his face.

"This is my house! Worse, this is my bed!" She exclaimed. Though she was only slightly annoyed due to extreme exhaustion, the girl really wanted a good night's sleep.

"Aye." Happy added sleepily.

"Go home." The blonde girl ordered with an authoritative tone.

"I…can't go on!" Natsu said collapsing back against her pillow and continuing to snore.

"I thought we'd get Natsu's scarf back." The blue cat said rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You can have it, so take it and get out!" Lucy said marching to the desk where she had folded it nicely; she snatched it up, marched back, and thrust it out for Happy to take.

"That's it…he says he got it from Igneel." Happy stated when he saw it in her hand.

"Here." The girl offered the scarf. Natsu groaned in his sleep, clearly still not feeling well. It was situations like the one she currently found herself in that she was reminded that Natsu was not totally invincible, no matter how he acted like he was. "Say, is he okay? He doesn't seem to be getting any better." Lucy said leaning over and looking closely at the sleeping boy.

"Aye." Happy answered, taking the scarf an laying it in his lap. "This has happened before. Back then, it was Laxus' lightning that he ate." Lucy frowned at the mention of the pervert's name, not quite certain why the thought of him would make her heart skip a beat. She was quick to decide that it was just nerves and nothing else. The blonde focused on the conversation again.

"So he shouldn't eat any other magic power except fire, huh?" She asked before realizing her mistake. "Well, magic isn't actually edible though…WAIT! Laxus' lightning?" She didn't think it was possible for anyone to stomach electricity; there was no way.

"A long time ago, Natsu challenged Laxus. Of course Natsu was defeated almost immediately."

"Of course." Lucy didn't doubt that part.

"In my estimation, Laxus is probably the most powerful wizard in the guild aside from Gildarts. Ah! Everyone calls Gildarts, "Old Guy". Ah! There's Erza too. And rumor has it that Mystogan is really powerful. And a long time ago, Mira was so powerful they called her Demon Woman." Happy explained.

"Demon Woman? Are we talking about the same Mira?" Lucy asked, thinking about the sweet, gently woman who ran the bar at Fairy Tail.

"I wonder who would win if we had a 'Strongest od Fairy Tail battle? I get excited just thinking about it." Happy chuckled to himself. Lucy frowned in disagreement.

"I don't like comparisons among fellow guild members. Why can't you just say that everyone's strong and let it be?" She added.

"Grey and Elfman are pretty strong themselves. And Gajeel and Juvia are up there in the strength department." Happy continued on and Lucy got the feeling like he could ramble about the topic all night.

"Yes, yes. Everybody's amazing. See you tomorrow." Lucy said picking him up and was about ready to drop the talkative cat out the window when he gasped and started waving his arms.

"Ah! I was going to give you this!" Happy said and Lucy paused. She placed him down of the window sill so he could dig through his bag. "You're pretty much out of money, right Lucy?" He said handing a folded flyer to her. The girl ignored the fact that Happy shared a good portion of the blame for her current financial crisis and instead carefully unfolded the page and peered curiously at it.

"A job?"

"…Not quite…" He corrected her. The girl looked at the flyer and say a big picture of fruits, vegetables, and herbs mixed on the center and even bigger print across the top of the page that read 'Magnolia Harvest'. It was dated for October fifteenth: a week from that day.

"Next week the town of Magnolia is having its Harvest Festival. Fairy Tail is taking part in the festival. You'll find it in the lower right hand corner." Happy explained. Lucy's gaze moved to the indicated corner and let out a gasp.

"Miss Fairy Tail?"

"Aye! It's a beauty contest to be held amongst the female members of Fairy Tail. The prize is five hundred thousand Jewels."

Five hundred thousand? That would pay seven months worth of my rent!" And the money she'd lost would have set her up for life. Lucy suddenly saw hope and a grin spread across her face. She still had a little more than a week until her rent became absolutely urgent to pay, so she had time.

"Mira and Cana plan to enter, but that doesn't mean you're absolutely certain to lose, Lucy." Happy said and the smile dropped off the girl's face.

"Eh? Mira too? She's been a pin-up girl for Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy gasped; she was once more worried about her rent, but she managed to shake her insecurity quickly enough. "B-but I'm younger, and I have a fresh new face! There's a certain charm in that…I can do this! Five hundred thousand! I am going to win this Miss Fairy Tail contest!" Lucy swore, full of confidence. She would definitely win the money; she was pretty enough to get Laxus' attention after all, and he himself said he get around. How hard could it be?


	9. Chapter 9: The Battle of Fairy Tail

_Hello! For everyone who has not read past volume twelve of the brilliant original, the next few chapters contain a bunch of spoilers. Sorry it took so long to update; I've been busy. Anyway, thank you to all who read and double thanks to all who review. Feedback is extremely helpful. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Bye!_

_Chapter Nine: The Battle of Fairy Tail_

They were late. He trusted them to return as quickly as possible, but considering it had been a full day and the trio had yet to walk through the door, Laxus was feeling more than extremely agitated. He'd finally had it; he was at the end of his rope and it was time to do something. He'd been boiling with rage for a week after zapping the weakling…what was his name again? Zamo…Zippo…Zuto…or was it Zeto? Laxus was sure it started with a 'Z', ended with a 'O', and sounded stupid. Anyway, the more he thought about the asshole and how irritatingly correct he was about a majority of the Fairy Tail members, the more he wanted to tear something apart. What happened after the Zito incident didn't help either.

After his little "bar fight", the furious mage returned to Magnolia. He'd spent the whole journey home fuming about Fairy Tail's plummet into idiocy, so when he found himself nearing the guild, he was pretty much on the verge of exploding. It was not long after discovering two weak maggots pummeling one of the main causes of his guild's downfall that he did just that. The old man had taken in the enemy; no wonder everyone was laughing at the guild.

Laxus lost all control and did not hesitate to relieve some of his frustration through violence. He would have kept going except for his almost-mistake. He was so over the edge that when Jet yelled for him to stop, he'd attacked him without thinking. He wasn't looking either, so he also ended up missing the weakling and instead almost hit Shadow Gear's female member. He hadn't even noticed she was there until it was too late.

For that brief instant in which he watched his lightening tear through the air towards Levi, he thought of Lucy; the two were close friends weren't they? The Celestial Mage would be hurt as well if his lightening hit. The second Gajeel dove in front though, Laxus only got madder for some reason. Perhaps it was a way to drown out the moment of relief.

After that, Gajeel staggered off and he let him. Laxus had his own business to take care of…such as summoning the Thunder God Tribe back to Magnolia. The time had come to take Fairy Tail before things got even worse.

He'd been waiting for his three followers for a week and they had still not arrived. It was now the day of the Festival and he was getting extremely pissed. Laxus would take deep breaths regularly to calm himself so he wouldn't blow up the room in a fit of frustration.

"You called for us." Evergreen's annoying voice pierced his ears suddenly breaking him from his thoughts. He responded with a growl.

"You're late…Freed…Evergreen…Bickslow…" His tone was dangerously low. Laxus lifted his heated gaze from where it was focused on the carpeted floor and looked at his theoretical "bodyguards". In truth, they were more like loyal minions; however, a part of him considered them friends.

As usual Freed's long green hair fell over his eyes and over his shoulders except for two strands that stuck up on either side of his head like antenna. His maroon coat and the blade at his side made him look almost like a nobleman. Evergreen hadn't changed since he'd last seen her either; she still wore the revealing fairy getup with her delicate spectacles and the fancy hairstyle that made her look like a slutty librarian/fairy. Bickslow was still Bickslow.

"Chasing down weaklings took longer than expected." The tallest of the group said, his tongue hanging out as he grinned wickedly. His mask covered to top half of his face and his "babies" bobbed through the air around him. Laxus snorted at the comment and stood up.

"I don't care about your excuses, Bickslow. It's time." He walked past them and out the door; after a second the three followed.

"Tell us what to do, Laxus." Freed spoke this time. "We will follow you." The powerful mage's eyes narrowed at the smaller man's words.

"We're going to take Fairy Tail."

* * *

><p>Lucy dashed toward the guild; the contest time was looming and she still had to make sure she was ready. As she dodged people, she wondered who else would be competing. Happy had said that Mirajane and Cana would be, but what about Levi, Juvia, and Bisca? She was in trouble if Erza joined.<p>

The young blond mentally smacked herself; it isn't over until it's over. Doubting her looks only mars them, so no matter what, even if the most beautiful woman in all of Fiore ends up competing, she would give it her all for the sake of her rent money. And he pride too, of course.

Lucy entered the guild and her eyes flew to the stage; it was obvious that the competition would be taking place there. A large gathering (which was mostly men) almost completely blocked said stage from her view by the large double doors. She slid along the wall, carefully inching past the pile to males who'd gathered for the event. She kept her head up and was cautious not to mess up her hair. The blond squeezed past a couple of smirking elderly men and hurried back stage only to almost walk straight into Levi.

"Oh! Sorry!" The both gasp in unison before breaking out into giggles, both nervous and excited.

"I figured you'd join, Lucy." The blue-haired bookworm finally said once she calmed down; a smile adorned her face. "I thought it could be fun so I joined too." The script mage wore a short dress and leggings. A headband held her wild curls at bay while soft boots were on her feet. Her entry number (it had a big six on it) was pinned to her clothes at her hip, which Lucy remember that she'd forgotten hers at her apartment.

"I guess it could be fun…but I'm here for my rent." The celestial mage responded.

"I figure _that_ too. I really am sorry that you lost your reward, though." The smaller girl said, her expression showing true sympathy for her friend. "You worked so hard to get it." Lucy laughed and waved her hand as if to bat the whole thing away.

"It's fine. The jewels went to a greater cause, so I'm not too upset." She still wanted to cry about it though. "Anyway, when does this thing start?"

"Any second." Levi answered just as something caught her eye. "Look! Juvia is participating too!" Sure enough, when Lucy turned to see, she saw the water mage slipping through the curtains.

"Great." The young blond sighed. More competition.

The sudden sound of Max's voice echoing throughout the guild informed the group of females that things were getting started. The energetic wizard who was also in charge of the Guild's shop eagerly introduced himself and the event before beginning to call out the entries.

"And entry number one! An exotic beauty with a stomach that contains a hole into another dimension! Cana Alberona!" Max called enthusiastically. Lucy looked around and noticed that Cana had already stepped out onto the stage.

"I should honestly pay more attention…" She muttered to herself as she moved to peek through the curtains. The sight of the dark hair-haired woman's deck of cards flowing around her was quite amazing; when the cards scattered, a barely clothed Cana remained.

"Swim Wear? No fair!" Lucy gasped.

"Of course…that is one tactic, I see." Erza said from her place at the blonde's side. The younger girl gasped and jumped slightly in surprise. She hadn't noticed the red-head until she was right there. She'd been so busy talking to Levi that she hadn't bother to even look to see who else was waiting for their turn on stage.

"What? Erza, you're entering this too?" Lucy practically yelled; her chances of winning the money was quickly decreasing. Her rent was doomed.

"Heh heh…such things bring out my competitive instinct." The female knight replied with a smirk.

"It's Juvia's turn now." The water said as she seemed to appear out of nowhere. She walked past Lucy and Erza just as Cana joined the contestants backstage once more. Lucy peeked through the curtains again, but this time she stared out into the crowd. She noted that just about every guild member she knew was there; Natsu, Grey, the Master, Elfman, Gajeel…there was no Laxus though. Oddly, Lucy felt rather put out by the fact that he wouldn't be watching…wait…Gajeel was there? Lucy had to do a double take when she realized that she had seen the iron mage sitting comfortably and eating with his eyes on the stage. He didn't look too excited like some other males in the audience, but he was still paying attention which surprised her.

"I didn't know he was into this sort of stuff." Lucy said to herself earning everyone's attention. Then again, his little show a little while back hadn't exactly been what she figured to be normal for him either. Perhaps she just didn't know him well enough to be making such decisions about him.

"Who are you talking about?" Erza asked.

"Gajeel. He's out there-" The celestial mage responded only to be cut off when Levi started coughing. Every female who noticed her reaction looked at her; Lucy and Erza who stood closest to the script mage observed her blush as well. "Are you okay, Levi?"

"Y-yes! J-Just got s-something c-caught in my c-chest is a-all." The smaller girl stuttered out, her blush deepening and Lucy was reminded of herself when Laxus was teasing her. Interesting…

After a moment of thinking, the blonde came to the conclusion that there might be something bothering Levi and decided to see if there was anything she could do. Levi was one of her closest friends who she depended on; sometimes it was good to be the reliable one, too.

Lucy backed away from the curtain and pulled her friend to a corner so she and Levi were out of the way of the other contestants.

"What's wrong?" She asked. The smaller girl's expression changed then to show unease. She glanced around to make sure that they weren't being listened to then turned back to face the girl in front of her.

"Um…there is something I wanted to tell you about. You are by best friend, so I thought it would be okay to confide in you…is it okay?"

"Of course!" Lucy replied quickly despite her surprise. She'd never had friends her own age while growing up, so the fact that Levi wanted to tell her something important, like she would have done if she'd had a different childhood, made her happy. It wasn't the best time to be sharing secrets, but she didn't mind.

"Um...okay…well, I guess…I should start at the beginning. I've wanted to tell you for a while, but last week…well…Jet and Droy kind of called Gajeel out and started beating up on him!" She spoke the last bit quickly, as if to finally get it out of her system. Meanwhile Lucy was just surprised that Jet and Droy were still in one piece. Levi could tell that the blonde was thinking and shook her head sadly. "He didn't fight back. At all. He just stood there and took it."

"…" Lucy didn't know what to say, but she didn't need to since there was more.

"That isn't all though. I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but Laxus showed up." The blonde wasn't surprised by the information, but the fact that Levi appeared to have been leading to it since she started talking did though. It was like she thought that the lightning mage was a concern of hers or something. "He was very mad…he really hurt Gajeel." Lucy waited for more, but her friend was silent.

"And…?" The celestial mage pressed and her fellow bookworm shook her head before continuing softly.

"Gajeel…I wondered how he was since I hadn't seen him since; when you said he was in the audience, I was kind of relieved." Levi finally confessed. "Anyway, I'd never seen Laxus so angry before. Since you two got along so well…I thought you would want to know that something was wrong." The smaller female finished.

"We didn't get along. We simply have an understanding." Lucy said quickly. Frowning, she bit her lip and wondered what was wrong with the powerful male.

Levi turned again so she could wait for her turn and be focused for her performance, but found herself glancing at her friend; she wasn't sure if telling her then was a bad thing, but she was glad she chose to leave out how Laxus had almost hit her with one of his lightning bolts; it would only upset Lucy even more. She'd been trying to tell the blonde for a week about the incident, but she just couldn't seem to find the right moment. Even after informing her, Levi wished there was a better occasion to explain since she was pretty sure that, despite her frequent denying of any special feelings, that her friend liked Laxus. The blue-haired girl had seen her look for him every time the guild doors opened and had seen the disappointment in her eyes when someone else entered. She knew it was him Lucy was looking for because the disappointment was there for everyone…even when it was Natsu, Happy, Grey, or Erza entering.

The sound of the crowd's surprise brought the two girls back to what was happening and Lucy turned to see Mirajane with her head changed into Happy. All thoughts of the powerful, older mage vanished in an instant. When Gajeel's head popped onto the popular girl's shoulders, quite a few reactions occurred; the two most notable was both horror and amusement.

Lucy grinned to herself. The front runner sabotages herself! Her mood immediately sunk again though when Erza's turn to take the stage came. The strong female mage was quite popular; most of the men cheered and whistled at the sight of her. Levy followed the beautiful red-head; luckily she had calmed from the discussion she and Lucy'd had and ended up doing very well. When Bisca went up, who was number six, Lucy began checking to make sure she was still perfect, since she was entry number seven. She also made sure to grab pompoms from the prop storage room behind the stage. The blonde needed to borrow them since she didn't have any at home and they were needed for the routine she had planned. Feeling determined despite her worries, she waited for her turn. Then Max started introducing her.

"Entry number seven is the guild's Super Rookie…with a brightness provided by the Celestial Heavens…Lucy Har-" Lucy jumped from her spot before she could stop herself.

"No! You can't say my last name!" Since her father was a well-known as one of Frior's wealthiest men, if her family identity was discovered there was a chance that she could lose the reward. She turned to the crowd to begin when she noticed the inquisitive expressions she was getting for her odd entrance. Feeling rather self-conscious, she laughed nervously before managing to pull herself together once more. She had a show to put on and money to win!

"Um…I wanted to do a Cheer Dance with my Celestial Spirits…" She said more to herself and began removing her jacket so her full cheerleader costume was visible; then a strong feminine voice interrupted the audience's attention on her.

"Entry number eight!" The mystery voice called out. Lucy quickly turned to see who was getting in the way of her and her rent.

"W-Wait a minute! This is _my_ magical appeal time…" She began but her voice died at the confidence the woman was giving off. Considering how she was dressed, Lucy guessed that the woman took the "fairy" in Fairy Tail too seriously. Her frilly outfit even had wings! Her smirking eyes stared at the world through delicate spectacles that made Lucy think of the masquerade balls her father had thrown on occasion. She'd hated every stupid party she'd been forced to attend.

"You want Fairies, that's me. You want beauty, that's me. Actually every part of this show is me!" The woman chuckled to herself and Lucy took a step back. "The contest is over, and the winner has been decided! It's me! Yes, I call this sham of a contest to a close!"

"Ehhh?" Lucy didn't even notice that such an odd sound came from her; she was too distracted by the rude woman's sudden declaration. At first the celestial mage was shocked and a little intimidated by the newcomer, but it all quickly faded in to annoyance. How dare she! Who was she, anyway? The green mark on her chest proved that she was a member of Fairy Tail, but that still didn't give her the right to barge in and interrupt other people's special time!

Ignoring the crowd that seemed more excited than ever before, though not in a good way, Lucy fully faced the woman and yelled, "Don't interfere with my entry! The roof over my head is riding on this!"

"Lucy! Don't make eye contact with her!" The blonde heard Grey suddenly call out from somewhere in the audience.

"Eh?" Lucy almost looked into the crowd where her friend's voice had come from, but the woman's attention left her unnerved.

"What did you say, little girl?" The woman smirked and gently lifted her glasses from her nose so her eyes were seen clearly. Unable to help herself due to years of lessons on manners, Lucy looked at what's-her-name in the face and their eyes met. Lucy knew immediately that she should have taken Grey's advice. Her whole body tingled for less than a second then everything went dark. Lucy could not see, speak, or move.

She could hear though.

Faint voices echoed around her, as if she was at the bottom of a dark well and was listening in on what people were saying outside on the surface. She was conscious, but the world she knew was far from her. Could it be that she was sent to another dimension?

"What just happened?" One voice said, mimicking Lucy's thoughts.

"Is that her magic appeal?" Asked another.

"Stone?" She finally heard someone yell. What does he mean by stone? Wait…stone? Could it be that what actually happened was she was turned to stone? She was now a hunk of Lucy-rock?

"This isn't good! Please, everybody, just run!" Max yelled and Lucy began to panic. _But I can't run!_

She heard screams and the distant thunder of feet on wood as the innocent townsfolk ran from the guild…or that was what she guessed was happening.

"What are you doing Evergreen? You're ruining the festival!" The Master yelled. So the woman's name was Evergreen, Lucy noted.

"Festivals come with entertainment, right?" Evergreen's voice echoed into Lucy's new world and the celestial mage felt anger fill her, successfully drowning out her panic.

Suddenly a faint crackling noise was heard followed by numerous gasps and Lucy wondered what happened now.

"She turned everyone in the backstage waiting area to stone?" A voice Stone-Lucy identified as Max's cried._ She did what? No…that can't be…Erza, Levi, and Juvia were back there! There was no way she was stronger than Erza!_

"You fool! You turn them back right now!" Just as the Master's voice ended, a sudden crash…like an explosion…echoed through the Stone-Lucy's head. She would have jumped if she wasn't petrified already.

"Yo! Idiots of Fairy Tail!" She knew that voice anywhere, but how could it be true? Lucy couldn't believe it. She knew he wasn't happy with the way the guild was, but to actually attack? The worst thing though was that she was one of the first to fall victim to his scheme; she had thought that after doing the mission together that he could consider her a guild mate. A friend. "The festival starts now!"

"Laxus!" Master Markov sounded just as shocked and betrayed as Lucy felt.

"Freed and Bickslow too?" _Who and who? _Whoever the two people mentioned were, Grey apparently knew them since it was him who said their names.

"It's the Thunder God tribe, Laxus' Bodyguards!" _Laxus' what?_

"Now…let's play…Grandpa." Lucy had never heard Laxus sound so vicious. Even though it sounded as if he was far away from her, she could still hear the venom in his tone.

"Stop being a fool! We've still got preparations to do for Fantasia! Now turn everybody back to normal!" The old mage shouted back.

"Fantasia's at night. I wonder how many will remain alive to be in it?" Lucy would have shivered if she could; every time he spoke he seemed less and less like the perverted and arrogant man who spent their time traveling together teasing her.

"NO!" The Master suddenly screamed and the celestial mage wondered what just happened. A crash informed her that something just got broken, and she hoped it wasn't one of her friends…or her!

"These women are now hostages." Laxus said and Lucy felt a warmth on her shoulders. She realized someone must be touching her; immediately she knew it was the currently extremely dangerous lightning mage. Fresh rage and frustration filled her, but she could do nothing. She wanted to yell, scream, and cry, but all she could do was listen and wait. It was obvious his arm was around her shoulders. _Perverted PIG! Get OFF of me NOW! _No matter how much she wanted to say it though, her stone lips remained sealed.

"You break the rules, we break a hostage." _N-No way…he wouldn't…_"You heard it right? Entertainment!" She could hear the cold smirk on his face. _He just might…_

"If you think this is a game, Laxus, you're in for a rude awakening!"

"Oh, we're very serious about this!" Laxus' tone made it clear that he wasn't fooling around in the slightest.

"This is our chance to see just who are the most powerful wizards in Fairy Tail." A new voice spoke this time; it was male. Lucy guessed it was either Freed or Bickslow.

"Yeah! Let's play!" New voice was echoed by what sounded like mice, but Stone-Lucy was not sure if she was simply hearing things.

"The rules are simple. The last one standing is the winner. It's the battle of Fairy Tail!" Laxus explained and Lucy remembered Happy talking a week before about the strengths of Fairy Tail members. She still didn't understand why it was so important; they were family so even if their magic was weak, they would never lose as long as they had each other. It was so simple to Lucy; why couldn't any Laxus or any of the idiots bragging about strength see that. Speaking of idiots…

"I like it! It's easy to understand! I'm fired UP!" As the sound of a table being smashed met her stone ears, Lucy inwardly sighed; of course Natsu felt better _now_ and was jumping at the opportunity to have a competition. Lucy began to seriously think that she and the other hostages were doomed.

"Natsu…you tend to jump onboard ideas like that. That attitude is…something I like." Laxus acknowledged.

"Natsu!" Master said in warning, but the boy wouldn't listen. Lucy didn't need to see to already know that nothing short of knocking him out would stop the idiot.

"It's a festival! Right old man?" Natsu sounded pleased. A couple reminders and warnings about the last time the dragon slayer had challenged the older mage met deaf ears. Lucy knew Natsu was charging by the sound of his feet on the wooden flood.

"On the other hand…your complete lack of sophistication is something I don't like. Calm down Natsu." Laxus was obviously amused; even as Lucy listened to him zap the boy with lightning it was apparent. A comical sort-of scream came from what Lucy figured to be Natsu and made the girl cringe in her dark world. A number of people commented on the miserably quick defeat, but it was Evergreen's voice that the celestial mage was focused on.

"If you wish these girlies to be put back to normal, you must defeat us!" The stupid woman who was responsible for turning the beauty contestants to stone challenged.

"There's four of us and near a hundred of you guys! Wa ha ha! The odds are stacked against us! Gya ha ha ha!" She recognized one of the male voices from before, the one with the weird echo repeating everything her said. Lucy considered the unknown man's statement, but quickly recalled what Laxus had done to the Skull Tears Assassination Guild; in actuality, she considered the rest of the guild's chances to be low.

"There is a three-hour time limit. If you don't take us all down before that, these girls will all turn to sand." Evergreen finished explaining. _Stupid…cocky…_

The gasps and murmurs of among people were easy for Lucy to ignore since the Master's voice, no matter how low with shock and pain it was, was clear to the girl's stone ears.

"Laxus…" He said, his voice sounded so broken and Lucy wished she was able to cry.

"The battlefield is all of Magnolia Town. Once you find us, the battle begins!" Laxus stated.

"DON'T TRY TO TOY WITH ME!" The Master's voice boomed loudly, even to Stone-Lucy.

"I told you not to fly off the handle. Just enjoy the festival's entertainment." The lightning mage responded; his tone was positively wicked. Lucy was almost glad she couldn't see him right then; it wasn't fair that he was suddenly a villain when she was just starting to know the man.

Suddenly screams erupted through the area and Lucy struggled to hear what was going on. Apparently a bright light had blinded everyone from what the stone girl could tell.

"Let the battle of Fairy Tail…begin!" It was the last thing she heard before a shocked silence fell around her. Lucy knew then that it was too late for anyone to stop it from starting…Laxus and his three accomplices had left to wait for their first opponent.

9


	10. Chapter 10: Inner Conflicts

_Greetings and salutations…__**really sorry**__ for taking so long to update. It took longer than I thought it would to finish my Bleach fanfic, then the Holidays came up, then schoolwork…anyway, I've been reeeaaalllyyy busy. But here is chapter ten! I hurried to finish it as quickly as I could, so the possibility of mistakes has increased…so I guess I should apologize. If you spot a problem, let me know so I can fix it, please. Thank you to those who read my stories and double thanks to those who review. Hope you had a Happy Holidays and that you enjoy this newest chapter. I'll try to have the next one done soon, but I can't promise anything concrete other than that it will get done._

_Chapter Ten: Inner Conflicts_

"I want to get into the thick of it!" Natsu yelled in annoyance and Lucy heard him slam his head against the supposed invisible wall that held him and the Master in the guild. "What is this? Like some kind of invisible wall!" He declared for what had to be the tenth time. Even though his voice was no more than an echo that seemed to be seeping into her dark inner world, it still managed to grate on the blonde's nerves.

Not long after Laxus had vanished with his group of goons, practically all of Fairy Tail charged from the guild with the intent of finding and beating the lightening mage up; the only ones remaining were Lucy and the other statues, the Master, Natsu, and Happy. Luckily the boys talk a lot, so she was able to hear about Freed's Jutsu-Shiki power and how he had set up a rule that no one over the age of eighty or a stone statue could leave the guild. It would be no surprise to the girl if Freed left little traps around town as well. The part that confused everyone though, was that Natsu couldn't leave to join the fight either for some reason. As far as Lucy knew, he wasn't over eighty or a stone statue; perhaps it was because the type of magic he used was ancient…?

"If you got into the thick of it, then what, you fool?" The Master's gravelly voice growled out bringing the girl from her thoughts. It was obvious he was deeply disturbed by the current situation; why wouldn't he be?

"It's a tournament to see who's the strongest, right?" The Dragon Slayer replied and the girl could only assume that he meant that he planned to participate in the fights.

"Where does anything say 'tournament'? These are duels between friends…" At that moment, the normally energetic and strong guild leader sounded his age...it broke Lucy's heart. Natsu however, _still_ did not get it. Was it so hard to understand that what was going on was in fact a_ bad_ thing?

"It's just a bunch of fights. We do that all the time!" the clueless boy stated as if his logic was the most flawless thing in the world.

"This is nothing like normal!" The Master's sudden shout would have caused Lucy to jump if she had been able to move. As it was, her inner self did become alarmed. "The lives of friends are on the line! Everyone is going all out! This isn't a situation that can be grasped using normal thought process! If things go on as they are…those who are stone will crumble into sand…and we will never see them again!" He explained what was going on as simply as he could…well, he _attempted_ to. Lucy hoped that the pink-haired boy would grasp the seriousness of the situation, but was instead startled by his sincere and trusting response.

"I don't care how bad Laxus acts, he'd never do that! He's pretty annoying, but he's still in our guild! It's just a bluff, right?" Her friend's words made the girl wonder why everyone couldn't be as innocent as him.

"Natsu…" The old man said with disbelief evident in his tone indicating that he shared the same thoughts as the stone Celestial Mage. Meanwhile, the object of their fascination had already gone right back to trying to shove himself through the spell that kept him trapped in the guild (she could faintly hear the sound of his skull ramming into something). _Geez…talk about simple…_

"This is just a fight festival…but why can't I get into it?" The boy complained once more.

"I can go right through!" Happy's voice informed Lucy that the cat hadn't left the guild with the rest, even though it was the first time he'd spoken for several minutes…which Lucy realized was a record for the little guy.

"So I'm older than eighty years old then?" The obviously young mage wondered.

"I very much doubt that, but…" The feline cut off mid-sentence and Stone-Lucy hoped that it wasn't because more of their guild-mates had fallen in the battles. Sadly, her wish did not come true. "Reedus is out of action?" Happy gasped and the girl felt her heart sink. Why did things keep getting worse and worse?

"You're pretty good, Freed!" Natsu said, almost sounding excited; he was probably thinking fighting the Thunder God Tribe member would be fun or something equally stupid.

"This is no time to talk about battle strength! Reedus was supposed to go get the medicine that would cure Evergreen's petrification magic!" Surprisingly, it was Happy that scolded the Fire Mage and not the elder. In her dark inner world, Lucy gasped; he was right! With Reedus taken out, what were they going to do now? There was no way they could win with the way things were going. The Master was so silent and the girl knew he was starting to really worry as well.

"It doesn't have to be cured. After all, it's just an empty threat, right?" Natsu defended and Lucy decided that she and the others were officially doomed.

"An "empty threat", you say, Natsu?" Laxus' voice made the girl's blood run cold. Only a week before he was dragging her around Frior and playfully teasing her; how had things come to this? She would have asked him herself if she could.

"Laxus!" the three remaining males on her side all shouted his name in surprise. His sudden appearance had apparently taken them unawares as well.

"A thought projection!" Happy observed and Lucy could only guess that he meant that Laxus hadn't even bothered to make his most recent visit in person. _The cowardly…!_

"But more to the point, why are you here, Natsu?" The aggravating man questioned with a sarcastic clip to his tone. Though technically Natsu's inability to pass through the barrier was quite curious, the girl found her attention focused on the words of the S-Class mage.

"Shut up! I'd get out if I could!" The boy snapped back much to the older mage's amusement; his entertained chuckles shamed the Fairy Tail name.

"Laxus, you…!" The Master growled out, but he was so upset he couldn't find the words to finish whatever he was going to say.

"Your friends…" Laxus began, obviously ignoring his grandfather, but paused mid-sentence for a moment as if to build up tension. "…are all out there beating each other up. I never figured you could just stand by and watch." Great…now he was taunting Natsu, the temperamental idiot of a Dragon Slayer. When he was satisfied with the reaction of grinding teeth and low growls, he turned his attention to the more sophisticated of the remaining guild members. "Ahh…Well, with Natsu and Erza sitting on the sidelines, there's really nobody left who can stand up to my Thunder God Tribe, is there? Want to surrender?" He asked sarcastically, though Lucy knew he was serious.

"We still have Gray out there!" The stone girl heard Happy blurt back. "He's pretty much on par with Natsu, and he won't be defeated by any of your Thunder God Tribe!" The blue cat declared and the blonde felt a ray of hope; she'd forgotten about the ice mage.

"You're saying he and I are even in strength? _Him_?" Natsu was insulted, but it didn't matter because he and Gray were very close in strength from what the blonde could recall from past fights she'd witness between them.

"It's true, right?" Happy insisted.

"Gray? Heh heh…So you're placing all of your hopes on that little boy?" Laxus ridiculed them and Lucy felt her anger rise once more. _Like he has any right to talk! He betrayed their trust…! Her trust…_

"Laxus, don't underestimate Gray!" The old man warned his grandson. Not even a second after he spoke, everything went quiet for a moment and Lucy wondered if she lost all of her senses. Suddenly Laxus burst out laughing and her inner self jump in surprise (it was an odd sensation). It was different from other times she heard him laugh; this time he sounded like a villain getting his way instead of someone who simply found humor in a situation. "Didn't I tell you so?" That was when Lucy realized that Gray had been taken down. When everything went quiet it was because they were all looking at the screen that had apparently appeared to show what was going on in the town.

"It isn't true! They must have used some lousy, dirty trick!" Happy exclaimed and Natsu made a frustrated noise; he wanted to join the fry so badly.

"Who can stand against the Thunder God Tribe now? Heh heh heh!" The man sounded insane.

"Gajeel can!" Happy chimed; hope lacing his tone once more, but it was no use.

"Too bad for you! It looks like he's sitting this one out!" Laxus retorted. "He's one of those guys who never felt any loyalty to the guild in the first place." Even though the Iron Dragon Slayer wasn't always on good terms with Fairy Tail, Lucy doubted that he was truly like that; if he was…why bother singing that song or not fighting back against Jet and Droy…?

"I'm still here!" The Salamander challenged.

"If you can't leave here, then you can't be any help." The blue cat explained as if he was speaking to a child.

"Fine." A calm, sad voice echoed around them and the sounds of Natsu and Happy arguing instantly quieted. "Very well. I surrender. Now stop all this, Laxus." After Master Markov spoke, a moment of silence hovered over the group and Lucy inwardly gasped.

"Old man!" Natsu sounded just as surprised by the words; for him, the old man had always been Master, so in him mind there was no possible other. Giving up so easily couldn't be the answer to the problem; even Laxus thought so, though for different reasons.

"We can't have that…!" The blonde would have cringed at the cold callousness of his tone if she could. "I mean if the Master of the world famous Fairy Tail guild is willing to admit defeat so easily…then the only thing for him to do is to resign his position and transfer the seat of Master of Fairy Tail to me!" At that moment, the overwhelming sensation of being betrayed clouded Lucy's thoughts and she wished, more than anything else, that she could cry. _That_ was what he was doing this all for? Just to be Master of Fairy Tail? Did he really hate everyone so much to be able to just write them off as useless and expendable so easily?

"That's dirty, Laxus!" Natsu declared and Happy was quick to agree. "Are you really that afraid to fight me?" The Dragon Slayer continued.

"So that's what you've been plotting from the start!" The Master sounded pained, as if he was on the verge of snapping.

"There's only an hour and a half left before it's game over." The Lightening Mage said. "When you decide to retire, you will have to use the guild's public address system and announce it to the whole town…that you have decided to leave the seat of Master of Fairy Tail to me. Think it over well! What's more important? Your position or the lives of your friends?" His voice was becoming distorted and Lucy remembered that he was a thought projection.

"Wait right there!" The ever-so-simple Natsu yelled before the sound of his stomping feet followed by a loud crash met the girl's stone ears. Apparently he tried to attack the older male, but quickly discovered that it is impossible to fight when his opponent wasn't really there.

"I _did_ mention that he was just a thought projection." Happy stated and Lucy mutely agreed.

"Dammit! How can he say that he's the strongest without ever fighting me? How can claim the Master's seat?" The Salamander just didn't understand and that frustrated him to no end.

"To tell the truth, I don't give a fig about the Master's seat." The old man stated honestly.

"You're okay with it?" Natsu sounded stunned, but the Master wasn't done speaking.

"But…it would be wrong to leave Fairy Tail to Laxus! There are two things that he needs to sit in that seat: conviction and heart…and he is short on both!" Lucy couldn't help but agree. Even before his blatant attack on the guild, she had thought that was the case.

"But if things go on like this…everybody will turn to sand…" Happy muttered worriedly and the girl felt fear grip her heart once more._ She'd almost forgotten about that little detail…_

"Now!" Master Markov blurted out and the two boys yelped. "There has to be somebody who can go out and take down Laxus!" _But who…? There was no one left that she could think of…_

"Me! Me!" Natsu excitedly offered, though he was obviously also annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously. She could just imagine the pink-haired mage stomping his foot and jumping up and down. The old man explained very slowly to the Fire Mage once more, that even _if_ he was strong enough to defeat the temperamental blonde, he was useless as long as he was trapped in the guild. Stone Lucy doubted that anything could be done at that point and her fear solidified until it felt like ice lodged in her chest; cold, sharp, and painful. Maybe Laxus really was bluffing about smashing her and the other statues…surly he at least cared for Erza, Mira, and Cana to some degree since they all grew up together. They were his family…Even if the friendship (understanding) that Lucy believed had formed between them was one-sided and he could smash her and feel no remorse; he wouldn't harm those he'd known for so long though…would he…?

A sudden soft shuffling noise that Lucy could barely make out in the state she was in caught the girl's attention and she quitted her racing thoughts to listen more carefully. Something metallic clanked against wood and she wondered what was going on. _What was that…?_

"Who's there?" She heard Happy demand, showing that he nor the other two knew either. They soon found out though.

"Gajeel!" Natsu for some reason didn't sound too pleased.

"Don't eat the tableware!" The blue cat added and a new series of questions flooded into Lucy's mind; why was Gajeel still here…what was he doing…and why was eating tableware _instead of going out and saving everyone_?

"D-do you think you could go out and fight?" The Master asked with desperation.

"I've got my own score to settle with that jerk! Leave it to me!" The Iron Dragon slayer responded.

"He's yours!" The Master's call was drowned out by Gajeel's metal boots on the wood floor. The girl would have smiled if she could; they were saved! Gajeel was strong and would fight Laxus, win, and everyone would be alright! If that did happen, Lucy promised that she would support Levi should her friend truly develop a crush on the rough male as she thought she was. Better yet though, he could just take out that stupid Evergreen so the spell on all of the girl's would be broken and Lucy herself would go beat some sense into Laxus…with Erza's help, of course.

The Celestial Mage's thoughts scattered when an all too familiar sound (thanks to Natsu) echoed throughout the guild; it was the sound of a face colliding with the invisible barrier. _Just great…_

"You too! What's going on here?" The three boys yelled and Lucy felt all hope scatter in the wind. _Yeah_! _What __**was**__ going on_? Leaving the guild shouldn't be so hard…expecially since two of the people trapped where not over eighty _or_ made of stone! Was it their form of magic?

"I-I just don't get this at all." Happy said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The battle of Fairy Tail…Only two left, huh?" The gravelly voice of the Iron Dragon Slayer echoed around the room and Lucy inwardly winced. That meant Alzack was down…

"Only two left, you say? Are you trying to irritate me!" Natsu suddenly said, annoyed. "Why can't you leave?"

"How should I know?" Replied Gajeel matter-of-factly. _The two are total idiots!_

"And now I'm getting hungry, you creep!" _What did that have to do with anything_? That boy seriously made Lucy worry sometimes.

"I'm telling you I don't know!"

"Two?" The girl heard the Master and Happy say in unison before a pause settled over them. "You mean it's just these two?" Lucy would have given an exasperated sigh if she could have. _They just realized that now_? Alzack had been the last member on their side who was out in the town, so when that Freed guy beat him, that left only the currently incompetent duo here. She was a stone statue with limited hearing and yet _she_ figured it out immediately.

"You mean I'm not even included in the count?" Happy gasped, though considering how he wasn't really useful in a fight aside from flying around, the cat shouldn't be surprised. Another silence surrounded them and the girl wondered what was going on. Where they just thinking, or something else?

"There's no choice left. I have to go bring Erza back to normal!" The Salamander grumbled and the stone girl felt a wave of curiosity mixed with uncertainty wash over her. He could do that? How?

"What?" The others were apparently just as shocked as she.

"And I thought this was my chance to put her in her place!" He continued to grumble to himself as the sound of his footfalls approached the stage. She intently listened to the slap of his sandals on the wood until the Master voiced the question that was on everyone's mind and the girl heard Natsu pause mid-step.

"W-wait a minute...! You can do it? You…? How…?" The old man stuttered.

"If you get it hot enough, it melts. You know…the top part of the stone." The Master's reaction was similar to inner Lucy. Though the girl was unable to voice her horror of what the fire mage was suggesting, in her lonely world she was wishing she could before the idiot did something stupid…like break Erza. "What? You never know until you try." _NO_! _That attitude may okay sometimes, but this is not a situation that can afford that kind of thinking_!

"I do know! Don't do it! Are you trying to kill her?" The old man yelled on deaf ears; the boy was too preoccupied with whatever he was doing to the older girl. Lucy listened intently as the other three tried to stop Natsu.

"Natsu, I'm telling you to stop rubbing her body with fire!" Happy gasped.

"Hey, you creep! You look like you're trying to feel her up!" Gajeel commented sharply and Lucy had a hard time imagining what that would be like; somehow the image just wouldn't form in her head…thank goodness. Seriously though, they needed to stop him.

"Dammit! She's cracking! Glue! Happy, get me glue!" _What_? _He really broke her_? _And now he's asking for glue_! _The idiot_! _Glue won't help at ALL_!

"Aye!" Despite the blonde's passionate inner dialogue, she was still unable to be make herself heard. Happy was probably flying off to fetch some glue at that very moment.

"You stupid jerk!" Gajeel said and Lucy felt relief for a moment. Perhaps he would help. "If you're trying to patch her up, I'll put some iron on her and you weld her shut!" Or perhaps not. _Just what were they doing out there_?

"You idiots!" The Master finally voiced what the girl had been thinking of the two Dragon Slayers for the past several minutes. Natsu, clearly panicking, was repeating apologies with such vigor that Lucy almost missed the cracking noise. If she could, she would have held her breath when the sound of stone shattering met her hard ears. Then all went quiet and the blonde struggled to pick up any hints as to what was going on. _Was Erza broken_? She hated having to wait for someone to say something. To her delight though, it was the strong female's wonderfully familiar voice that finally broke the stillness.

"I feel hot. Natsu you…What did you do to me?" Comedic yelps of pain from both Natsu and Gajeel were then heard mixed with Happy's joyful cheers.

"…Erza…But how…" The Master asked.

"I couldn't say myself…But I have a feeling that it has something to do with my right eye…" _What about her right eye_? Lucy couldn't help but wonder momentarily about what her friend meant, but her joy that the powerful mage was not only not dead, but was free and ready to assist in stopping Laxus was too consuming to allow her to focus on one thing alone.

"Erza, do you understand our situation?" Happy chimed.

"Yes. I heard everything." _Really_? _So she was forced to listen to this horrible nightmare and not be able to do anything as well_? "With me back in action, the count of survivors is properly brought up to date. I had my doubts, but…"

"And so the three remaining members are Natsu, Gajeel, and Erza, right?" The blue cat observed loudly, but paused once more when something else caught his attention. Lucy was really beginning to really hate not being able to see anything.

"There's one more now!" _What did Gajeel mean by that_?

"Who is it?" Natsu questioned. "Everybody…is still stone statues…so who…?" _Wait…did they mean that a fourth member is still in the fight_?

"It seems that a certain man has decided to join in as well." Erza said and Lucy could hear the smile on her. The girl had no idea who the apparent newcomer was, but if her friend was happy about it, then she was too. The sound of boots on the wood floor echoed through the guild hall and the Celestial Mage knew that the powerful knight was on her way.

"This is our counter attack! Go!" The Master encouraged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Laxus felt a smirk coming on as he watched the magic screen change to include Erza in the member count.

"With Erza back in action and Mystogan joining the fray...it means that the top three wizards of Fairy Tail are all there, including me, of course. Now _that's_ a festival for you." The mage chuckled to himself, his voice echoing off the walls of the church he was waiting in. He wasn't surprised that so few remained in his little "game"; Fairy Tail had been invaded by weaklings like a home would be by cockroaches. Now that the rabble was weeded out though, the real battle could begin.

In truth, he never planned on smashing anyone; not because he was bluffing, but because he was simply sure that the Master would cave in to the pressure and give up his seat soon enough. Even with Erza's unexpected revival, Laxus did not doubt that his win was inevitable and that it was only be a matter of time until she was defeated by Evergreen (who just started fighting the red-head). Once he was Master, he would dispel everyone who fell in the fights from the guild along with both Dragon Slayers. Erza would go too, but that had more to do with the fact that he just didn't like her superior attitude. The women turned into stone statues were another matter; their gender gave them an excuse for their weakness, so he would give them a choice to either work on getting stronger and remain in the guild or hit the road. The only thing that bothered him was Lucy; the girl was safely out of the way with the other stone statues, but eventually she would be running about being mouthy again. He could imagine her trying to scold him; he rather found it funny in fact. Though he would never say it out loud, he couldn't deny that he wanted her to stay in the guild.

He originally planned to just kick everyone out, hut his job with the Celestial Mage made him rethink the plan. As Master, he would have to stay at the guild more and would thus need some way of keeping himself occupied. He contemplated how many of the girls would agree to stick around. He doubted Cana, Bisca, and that phantom chick would. Lucy and her friend were kind of iffy though; even if the little blonde had insisted that she wouldn't want to be anywhere near a guild he was Master of, Laxus wasn't sure if she had anywhere else to go. Perhaps she would try following her friends around in search of a new guild…

The Lightening Mage's train of thought broke when he noticed that the fight between Evergreen and Erza had come to an end. A low growl vibrated in his throat at the unexpected sight of the red-head's win. It took a moment for it to click that his plan had just been ruined. With Evergreen out of action, all of the magic she cast would come undone, meaning that all of the stone statues would be freed. He didn't care that more wizards had just joined the fight; what pissed him off was he didn't have hostages to use against his Grandfather anymore. Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT! His anger boiled over and he verbally voiced his frustration. His fists clenched and he felt his lightening sizzle around him menacingly.

"DAMN IT!" He shouted and couldn't stop himself from punching the pillar at his side. His full strength wasn't used, but the stone still cracked from the force of his blow. "How could Ever be defeated by somebody like Erza? Huh? When did you get so weak, Ever?" The man's tone accused the absent and oblivious woman. He ground his teeth together as the sound of Freed's soft footfalls met his ears as the green-haired man appeared behind the Lightening Mage. He heard the brush of fabric on marble and knew that his accomplice was leaning slightly on a pillar.

"Erza was too strong for her. Perhaps Bickslow or I should have gone." The smaller man said matter-of-factly.

"What did you come back here for, Freed?" Laxus demanded in an icy manner. He wasn't in the mood to listen to any "what ifs". It wasn't over yet; he just needed to be a little more creative and perhaps a little less nice about the whole thing. He would just have to take more hostages.

"Because the game is over. The hostages are released so there is no more reason for the Master to play." The words hadn't fully left Freed's lips when Laxus let loose a bolt of electricity to explode the pillar his lackey was leaning against; it was meant as a warning for him to stop talking.

"Laxus…" The feminine man mutter in surprise and fear. Good, he had his attention.

"It isn't over! If you aren't going to follow my lead, then get lost! My Fairy Tail doesn't need you!" Laxus snarled. Doubt was the last thing he needed amongst his followers. He still had a trump card that he was perfectly willing to put to use. After his next move, his Grandfather would not dare to procrastinate his retirement any longer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was incredible how quickly Erza succeeded in saving the day. It hadn't even been ten minutes since she left the guild in search of an opponent when Lucy felt herself return to her own body…or at least that was what it felt like. It was as if her consciousness lifted from the dark and lonely inner world that she'd been drifting in and a moment later she found herself staring out over the guild hall from her place on the stage. Behind her she could hear the sounds of the other former hostages moving and questioning what happened. It took a moment for her to realize what it all meant.

"What is this…I'm back?" She gasped in realization as she glanced around herself at the others. "Erza must have…!" She was unable to finish her thought because something blue and fuzzy dive-bombed into her chest and knocked her slightly off balance. Stumbling back a step, she wrapped her arms around the cat and returned his hug.

"Lucy!" Happy wailed and her heart melted when his voice cracked.

"You're back to normal!" Natsu cheered from off stage. Looking around between all of her friends as she straitened her posture, Lucy felt a smile curve her lips.

"Yeah. I am. We're fine."

After that, the Master proceeded to inform the group about the events that transpired. Lucy opened her mouth to say that they'd already heard everything, but paused when the others revealed themselves to absolutely confused and oblivious to everything Laxus had done. Neither Levy, Juvia, nor Mirajane had heard anything at all. The fact that everyone other than her and Erza had been totally out of it left Lucy perplexed. The whole situation was totally and completely bizarre; if Erza's eye protected her from the full effects of the spell, what let Lucy remain conscious of the situation? She would have to ask the Master when things settled down again.

"The 'Battle of Fairy Tail'?" Levy questioned loudly bringing Lucy out of her reverie. She bit her lip and decided that it would probably be best if she focused on the major matter at hand. Laxus had to be stopped! Before he dug himself too deep to come back to the guild…

"Laxus is doing it?" Cana questioned redundantly.

"…But this should end it." Concluded the old man and Lucy gasped slightly when she realized that he was right. With no hostages in danger, there was no reason for the fights to continue! "Now that the girls are back to normal, I have no intention of playing Laxus' twisted game!"

"But…when I think of people scared because of Freed's traps…" Mirajane whispered. Bisca jumped on the idea like a hungry tiger.

"That's right! If we don't teach Laxus a lesson, it would set a bad precedent!" She blurted, her fists pumping to indicate her sincerity.

"I know, I know. I'm planning on giving that boy the strictest punishment afterwards." The Master growled. "Damn it, Laxus! You may have gotten away with a lot in the past, but not this time!" No one doubted him as he glared at the wall as if he was envisioning his grandson standing there.

"Wait one minute, please!" Natsu called the groups attention to himself. Crossing his arms in a matter-of-fact sort of way the Dragon Slayer then proceeded to explain his thoughts on the matter. "I agree with you guys that he took the wrong path." He began. "Setting up friends and forcing them to fight against each other is wrong, but I can't help but go along with Laxus' goal of figuring out who's the strongest of Fairy Tail! Besides, it's still Laxus!" Lucy's eyes widened slightly, before she relaxed in to a soft smile. Natsu's faith, if not based on warped logic, was quite inspiring. Perhaps she shouldn't give up on Laxus either; maybe she could get through to him if she tried…though considering his own Grandpa could not reach him, she was left wondering what she would be able to do exactly.

"No…that's not what we're angry about…" Levi tried, but gave up after realizing how pointless it would be. There was no way anyone would stop Natsu from being Natsu.

"Anyway, I think you shouldn't get too mad at Laxus…Grandpa!" The boy concluded with a confident grin that made the surrounding group question what he was so sure of exactly.

Meanwhile, Lucy was busy making a decision of her own on the subject. "I will try to think so too…" Lucy whispered to herself just as Natsu threw his arms up and professed to the world the rest of his contemplations.

"And so…I now declare the Second Battle of Fairy Tail to be underway! Let's all fight everybody!"

"What?" Levi, Bisca, and Lucy blurted out, though the blonde realized that it _was_ Natsu; what else could she possible expect from him? At least he was feeling better after being sick for so long...

"Don't even think it!" The Master scolded on deaf ears since the Salamander was too busy punching the air and attempting to coax someone into fighting him.

"Come on! We haven't seen action yet! Let's all battle!" He declared and the Celestial Mage responded with an exasperated sigh.

"Stop it, Natsu. When you say it, it doesn't sound like a joke." She said.

"If you're set on it, I think you might find somebody to beat you silly. Me, maybe." Cana jestingly suggested, but it was Bisca who replied.

"Cana! Don't encourage him!" The sharp-shooter had just spoken when a blue blur whizzed through the air to hover by the Fire Mage.

"Natsu…I don't think it's prudent to start up a battle with girls as opponents." Happy said.

"Boys and girls…That's got nothing to do with it!" was his response. He turned toward his friends and threw his arms up as he challenged them. "Come on! Let's kick this off, Lucy!"

"Noooo! Leave me out of this!" The girl sprinted around, avoiding his fiery fists and releasing small squeaks every time he got to close. Out of the corner of her eye as she ran from the deranged Dragon Slayer, Lucy noticed Levi glancing across the room toward where Juvia and Gajeel were standing. The two had been quiet during the conversation, but now they were speaking softly between themselves; the blonde wondered what they were saying for a brief moment until something else caught her attention.

"Huh? What could that be?" Mira asked and the Celestial slowed to a stop (as did Natsu) to stare at the guild doors where a large black wall had just filled in with a skull and cross bones decorating it. The skull had a large lightening bolt through the right eye that reminded her of Laxus' scar. Everyone stared as other similar formations appeared in the air throughout the room.

"What's that?" She asked loudly, hoping someone would answer quickly.

"Maybe the Jutsu-Shiki report board has come inside the guild…?" Cana suggested, uneasily.

"Can you hear me Old Man? And all you wimps in the guild too?" A deep, static-filled voice suddenly echoed around them and the girl felt the blood drain from her face. Now what…

"Laxus…" Natsu voiced Lucy's thoughts.

"One of the rules stopped making sense, so I thought I'd follow up with a new one. The Battle of Fairy Tail is going to continue on, and to make sure it does…I started up a dose of Thunder Palace magic." Lucy didn't know what he was referring to, but doubted that it was good.

"Did he say Thunder Palace?" She heard the old man gasp nearby.

"You have an hour and ten minutes left. Do you think you can beat me? Or do you want to retire now, Master?" Laxus' voice rumbled around them, his laughter rattling Lucy's bones now that she wasn't listening from some dark, distant place in her mind. This had to stop; if he went through with this, there would be no going back! People…people might end up really getting hurt…!

"L-Laxus-!" She began, but the Master's booming voice drowned her out completely.

"What are you thinking, Laxus?" He bellowed in anger and frustration, but the black screens had already vanished indicating that his grandson was no longer listening. "You intend to involve everyone whether they have a connection to the guild or not!" The Master was barely able to finish speaking since he suddenly gasped and immediately grabbed the area over his heart. His elderly hand curled into a fist in his coat and his body started to collapse as his legs gave out under him, his back curling forward as a protective reflex. Instantly everyone began to panic. Numerous cries of alarm and concern were voiced while a few others continued to ask what Thunder Palace was. Mirajane rushed off in a hurry after saying that she was fetching his medicine. Lucy looked between everyone feeling lost. Everything just kept getting worse! To add to everyone's worries, the older silver-haired girl appeared once more, her face pale.

"Oh no…everyone…look outside!" She hurriedly informed. While she stayed with the Master and convinced Gajeel to stay in order to help move him to a quiet place where he could rest, Cana and Natsu led Happy, Lucy, Levi, Juvia and Bisca upstairs to the guild's balcony.

The blonde gasped when she saw the hundreds of spheres floating around all of Magnolia. They glittered in the sun like dark jewels, but she had a feeling that they were not there to look pretty.

"What are they?" Lucy was surprised by the sound of her voice; she wasn't used to fear and uncertainty the laced her tone. Slightly behind her, Levi seemed to recognize the spheres.

"Are those lightening lacrima…?"

Frowning, Cana muttered, "So, are those things…are surrounding the entire town?"

"Thunder Palace…" Lucy mumbled, her eyes widening as she realized what the Master had meant before he'd collapsed. Laxus was threatening the entire town?

"Each individual lacrima looks overloaded with lightening magic energy." The Card Mage observed. Squinting her eyes, Lucy stressed to look closer until she too noticed the sizzle of the lightening that was struggling to escape. Beside her, Cana released a gasp and her eyes flew open wide. "Wait, this 'Thunder Palace' thing can't be…"

"Does it mean it creates a castle of lightening?" Juvia questioned. Bit by bit they were putting the puzzle together of what they were up against.

Cana nodded before motioning out toward the sea of buildings scattered before Fairy Tail. "And he's making the town of Magnolia the site for it!"

Lucy inhaled sharply before turning to face the older girl. "So what's supposed to happen if these things release their energy?" She pointed for emphasis, but it wasn't necessary. She hoped the reply wasn't what she thought it would be.

"It means that countless lightning strikes will occur throughout the town." And thus destroying Magnolia. It would be a massacre! What was Laxus thinking!

Bisca was silent as she listened to the others exchange words until the last part was said. She scowled for a moment before deciding that it was about time that she did something.

"Well, I'd never let that happen! Requip: Sniper Rifle!" She cried as she summoned her weapon forth and took aim at one of the lacrima. Once she had a for-sure shot, she fired and the sphere shattered; the pieces fell to the town below, catching sunlight as they went so they almost reminded Lucy of fairy dust.

"You did it!" The Celestial Mage smiled in relief. Now Bisca just had to shoot the rest of them and then Laxus would have no choice but to cease his insane behavior.

"Nice shooting, Bisca!" Cana offered with a grin and the sharpshooter smiled confidently.

"I'll destroy them all." She said, but her words were short-lived. Lucy couldn't tell where it came from since it happened so quickly, but a bolt of electricity struck Bisca and the girl released a startled and pained cry before collapsing. Her burned body smoked and she did not move for a moment. Until they noticed her soft breaths, the girls and Natsu gathered around feared for her life. Levi crouched by her friend's side while Lucy turned to Cana since she seemed to have most of the answers at that moment.

"What was that? What just happened?" Her voice shook. She had been right next to Bisca when she was hit and could still feel the heat smell smoke. If she had been standing any closer, she might have been hit as well.

"Are they using Organic Link magic? All those lacrima assess the amount of damage done to them, and use it to gauge a counter attack! In other words, if you harm them, they team up to do the same amount of damage on you!" Cana explained, her teeth grinding in frustration. In the corner of her eye, Lucy noticed Gajeel rush up onto the balcony, probably drawn up by the commotion. Every one ignored him when he demanded to know what the hell happened since they were more concerned about the lacrima and Bisca.

"You're kidding! If things go as they are, the townspeople will be…" Levi began from her place holding the unconscious girl.

"The only thing to do is take Laxus down. I'm going!" Cana said before turning to head to the guild doors. Lucy wasn't sure if she would be much help, but she wanted to assist in any way that she could.

"I'll try to evacuate as many townspeople as I can!" She cried as she turned and dashed inside the guild after the older mage. As she left, she noted Natsu jumping over the railing and attacking the invisible barrier from the roof. She knew how he felt; nothing was worse than being useless when one's friends were in danger. Not knowing where else to go, she headed to Mirajane.

"Mira! We need to use the public address system! We have to get everyone in Magnolia to evacuate!" The older girl looked up from where she was bending over the Master to give him his medicine before helping him to an infirmary bed until they could get Poluchka to come see him. Gajeel must have been waiting for her to give the word and carry him before his curiosity got the best of him.

"I'm afraid that Freed used his magic so only Master could use the public address system." She replied gently and a cold sweat settled over the blonde. Why did Laxus have to be so thorough! Didn't he care about Fairy Tail at all? Realizing that she didn't have time to be thinking such things, Lucy shook her head.

"…Then I'll just have to go out and tell people personally!" The Celestial Mage wasted no time to sprint across the guild.

"There is still two of the Thunder God Tribe left! Be careful!" Mirajane called from her place. She watched the upset blonde run through the double doors and out to the streets and hoped no harm would come to the girl.

The desperate mage fought down panic and frustration as she made her through crowds of people. Looking around herself, she opened her mouth to call out her warning, but all that escaped her lips were soft whimpers that she was having trouble fighting down. Realizing that her body was shaking and that a number of people were giving her anxious glances, she quickly backed up and pressed herself against the side of a building and away from the mass of passer-byers.

The people she loved-her guild mates-were all hurting each other and soon innocents in the town would be brought into Fairy Tail's civil war as well. What was Laxus thinking? Had he been planning all this while they'd done that job…? She felt so betrayed.

"I…I need to calm down!" Lucy took a long slow breath as an attempt to calm her beating heart and shivering form. She turned so she faced the wall and pressed her head against the stone. Her eyes squeezed shut to block out her growing need to scream in defeat…because she felt as if there was no way to win at that moment. Realizing how negative she was acting, she pushed herself straight and shook her head. "This is no good! I need to focus…the people come first, then I can go help look for Laxus…We can do this! It's not over yet!" While vocally encouraging herself, Lucy started to run down the street. She eventually came to a bridge that crossed over another street below. Beginning to grow tired from pushing her body to keep moving, Lucy allowed herself to slow to a fast walk. Stepping onto the bridge, the celestial mage slowed to a stop. She glanced out over the crowds until she was staring at the people on the other side of the long stretch of cobblestone. "What am I going to do…?" She whispered before slowly sinking down into a crouch with her forehead now pressed against the railing.

"Hey, Lucy!" A high pitched yell caught her attention and she quickly shot to her feet and turned to see a blue blur flaying toward her.

"Happy? What are you doing here?" She was glad to see her dear friend; his appearance instantly gave her comfort and helped clear her mind. He'd disappeared when Bisca had been hit by the lightening lacrima. He was probably just as scared as her; the thought that she was not alone gave her some comfort. She could be strong for him at least.

"I'm here to help! Natsu can't do anything right now, but Levi is working to get him and Gajeel out of the guild."

"…I see. That's good. But right now we've got to figure out how to get the whole town to get to safety."

"Why can't we use the guilds public system."

"Mira said that there's a Jutsu-Shiki up with the rule that nobody but the Master can use it during the Battle of Fairy Tail. I really don't believe the detail in which they planned this." Lucy wondered once more if Laxus had planned to do this even while they were on that job. The nip of the air brought a shiver down Lucy's back and she raised her arms to wrap them around herself. Now that she had calmed down, the temperature seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks; it left her shocked that she hadn't noticed it sooner.

"You look cold, Lucy." Happy observed.

"Yeah…I wish I brought a coat or something…" She mumbled in response. "Anyway, we have to get the people evacuated away from the Thunder Palace."

"About that…now that I think about it…I really think that it's a bad idea."

"Why?" She tilted her head.

"Many of the people here are from out-of-town and are here for the festival. Everything in the streets is in chaos! It'd be dangerous to cause a panic. We could wind up with a lot of unnecessary injuries." He explained, obviously thinking some snide comment about Lucy's intelligence while he spoke. The girl paused and held her arms closer to her body, a frown curving her face and her brow scrunched in thought.

"But if that's the case…what do we do…?"

"Yeah!" A higher pitched voice echoed, startling the two friends. The girl's head spun to see three small, floating wooden head-like dolls. What the…? The other two mirrored the first's actions and mimicked her earlier question. They where only about the size of her fist and looked basically harmless…that is until Happy yelled out a warning before rushing forward and grabbing the back of her shirt. Before she knew it, Happy tackled her and a second later she realized that her feet were no longer firmly planted on the cobblestone road anymore and was instead being carried by the flying cat into the air. They zoomed to a somewhat safer area just in time. Bright lights, as if from some sort of laser, shone back on the bridge where they had just been and the sound of an explosion soon followed. Rubble seemed to rain through the air around them, but Happy skillfully dodged them as he carried them further away from the little doll-weapons.

"Wh-what was that?" She gasped out looking down, trying to see past her feet and through the raising smoke.

"It's Bickslow!" The cat cried out as he let her go on a roof. Lucy landed in a crouch and quickly looked around after realizing that one of Laxus' lackeys were around somewhere. She didn't have to look long since the man graciously saw it necessary to call her attention to him. With her opponent in her sights, she at least didn't have to worry about him sneaking up on her…though his little toys were still a problem.

"Yo! So you're the new girl that all the rumors are about?" The man she could only guess was Bickslow said. He was obviously tall…perhaps even taller than Laxus! He wore all black and a hood with a visor hiding his eyes. The strangely-dressed man made the girl think of a jester…a big, weird, and dangerous jester. Even though he was standing on top of an even higher building across the street, she could still make out the huge and rather psychotic grin the adorned his face. Definitely a dangerous jester, all right. More importantly though…

Frowning at his words, the girl responded to his comment, "What 'rumors'? I don't like the sound of that!" What have people been saying about her?

"You now, the 'Cosplay Loving Queen'!"

Shocked that anyone would think that, Lucy's finger shot up to point at him as she yelled, "Don't believe those outrageous exaggerations!" She did not want to hear such a thing from someone dressed like _him_.

"What's that supposed to mean, Cheerleader Girl?" The freaky figure cheerily questioned with his little dolls echoing his name for her. She stuttered for a moment in an attempt to explain that the cheer uniform was for the Miss Fairy Tail contest, but the guy's impatience apparently got the better than him. "Hey, Babies! Get her!" He ordered enthusiastically. A bright beam shot from the wooden things toward the pair crouched on the rooftop, forcing the feline and the girl to quickly dive out of the way. Over their surprised squeals as they clumsily dodged the attack, Bickslow said, "Sorry! I know you just joined, and we're supposed to treat you nice…but we're in the middle of a rough game here!" Rough game? Was that all he saw the guild's current inner turmoil as? Didn't he see that people's lives-both friend and stranger-could be at stake?

"After doing this, do you think the Master will let you get away with it?" Lucy challenged as she stumbled around another blast.

"The Master doesn't have any say! By the time this game ends, Laxus will be the Master!" The strange man's confidence was worrisome; the girl gently bit her lip to hold back the string of comments that wanted to erupt from within…comments about how Laxus was behaving like a madman and how he could never be Master of a guild if he killed all the members. Glancing at Happy as he zoomed around more lasers, the girl decided that she was going to have to take the guy out herself. She wasn't sure if she could or not, since he was one of Laxus' buddies, but she had to try. With that thought in mind, the Celestial Mage pulled her key ring from her belt and pointed her selected one forward.

"Those flying things are the problem, so I just have to get rid of them! Open Gate to the Man-Horse Palace! Sagittarius!" She summoned in an authoritative tone.

The tall man dressed in his horse costume appeared with a puff of smoke, his hand raised in his signature salute. "You called, Madam? Moshi-moshi?"

"Ooh! Celestial magic? But I didn't know Celestial Spirits did cosplay." Bickslow exclaimed, almost sounding thrilled.

"I don't do cosplay!" Lucy yelled in response before realizing that she was getting off track again. She quickly turned to Sagittarius and gave her order. "Your targets are those things flying around! Okay?"

"I shall comply! Moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius said before taking aim. He released the arrow; his aim was true and the girl grinned when one of the wooden dolls broke into little splinters.

"Ooh! My baby!" She heard the weirdo cry from his perch on the roof above her. The spirit continued his attack and it was not long until the rest of the puppets were destroyed. This was good. She could work with this. "First they're frozen, then they're blown to dust!" He was sweating now! That'll show the jerk for messing with Fairy Tail!

"You did it!" Lucy cheered, but paused slightly afterwards. Wait…frozen? So this was the guy who took out Grey? How did that happen?

The last two puppets were shot and Bickslow covered his face. "Noooo! My babies!" The he yelled with what Lucy thought to be despair…until he proved her wrong with his next two words. "Just kidding!" A second later, an energy spell fired at the two from their flank and pierced her celestial spirit partner.

"Sagittarius!" The girl gasped, concern flooding her features as he began to disappear to the spirit realm.

"Moshi-moshi…I seem to require a prolonged restful leave of absence…" He managed before he was gone completely, leaving her and Happy on their own once more.

"You're kidding!" She cried, not understanding what had happened; where had the attack come from? Her question was soon answered by Bickslow himself.

"You can destroy the puppets all you want. I control souls, so it doesn't matter!" The man boasted loudly.

"Souls?" The girl gasped. How could she hope to beat that…let alone find and stop Laxus…?

"Bickslow's magic allows him to have souls possess the forms of puppets." Happy mentioned as he flew from his previous hiding spot to land on her shoulder. Lucy held back her urge to give him a reprimanding glare. Why couldn't he have said something sooner? The girl turned her gaze back to her opponent, but while she turned, she caught a glimpse of the building's sign that hung below Bickslow's feet. It said, "Toy Tom". As she watched, several wooden dolls, this time with arms and legs, burst through the shop's windows to hover around their master.

Distracted by the realization that the guy had an endless supply of puppets to do his bidding, Lucy didn't notice the lone doll flying at her from behind until it rammed into her hand, sending her Celestial keys up into the air to be snatched away by the culprit.

"My keys!" She cried as they were carried off, but when she turned to give chase, a blast of energy blew the ground out from under her. She tumbled head over heels until she managed to roll onto her feet. Happy, who had also been thrown by the explosion, lay about ten feet away by some rubble. As long as Bickslow continued to go after her, he would be fine. By the time she was able to run again, another series of attacks were coming at her, forcing her to dive to the side and pray he wouldn't use a wide barrage; there would be no escape if he did. She rolled so she was facing him again, her eyes narrowed in frustration. Seated like she was, dodging would be difficult, so she had to get up as quickly as possible. Before she could though, Bickslow began making his next move.

"You won't be able to get out of it now." The freak chuckled. "Sorry Cosplay Girl. Your soul is about to be sacrificed to Laxus!" As he spoke, his dolls floated until they formed a triangle. They began to glow as their attack began to charge; it was obvious that this was going to be a big one. "Baryon Formation! Fire!" He ordered.

Lucy's eyes widened as the thick beam shot toward her like a cannon blast, all the while promising the same horrible fate of one as well. She tried to back away, but it was no use. There was no way for her to avoid the attack from the position she was in. She could hear the little cat screaming for Bickslow to stop in the background, but for a moment time seemed to slow and all sound became distorted upon reaching her ears.

She did not close her eyes or turn away, only watched as the light approached until it was practically upon her. At the last moment she felt a pair of strong hands slide under her knees and around her back and the next thing she knew her world was moving again and a black form blocked out the sight of incoming spell. The loud blast from where she had previously sat shook her to her vary core and instinctively her arms lifted to protect her face, even though the explosion was behind her savior and they'd both escaped unharmed. The crack of rubble raining down and the hiss of rising smoke greeted her out of her shocked state and her chocolate orbs somehow managed to widen even more. She had seriously not been expecting to be saved. And the person who came to her rescue…it was Laxus with a change of heart or Natsu finally released from the guild. Though it was not the lightening mage or Dragon Slayer, the man who currently held her out of harm's way was not unwelcome either. In fact, she found his arrival a happy surprise since it meant that he was feeling much better than the last time she'd seen him.

"I wonder why it is…that I am the only one who can open my gate freely without any call from you?" Though he looked different with longer hair and a snazzy suit, there was no mistaking him. "They say that there's a wall between the Celestial world and the human. But it may just be the force of love between us that breaks down such walls." Loke said and Lucy felt a slight smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"Love…? What kind of stupid talk is that?" She giggled while Bickslow gawked noisily.

"Y-you're…"

"It seems the moment to fulfill my vow has come!" The spirit interrupted.

"Loke!" Both Bickslow and Happy chorused in surprise at the sight of the Celestial Spirit. After a moment the Puppet Master recovered enough to shrug the unexpected interference off and continue as if he wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"So it's you, Loke! You turned out to be a Celestial Spirit after all!" He said. "Heey! I'd been wondering about that all along! I kept your secret all this time, and here you go standing against me! So you're here to join the Battle of Fairy Tail? Huh?" What was he going on about now? How could he know Loke was a Celestial Spirit?

While the man talked away and the blonde doubted every word the man said, Happy crawled to his paws and trotted over to stand with his friends. Noticing the girl's confusion, he quickly began to explain how Bickslow had the ability to see the souls within someone. Meanwhile, Loke was calmly brushing the dirt from his slick black suit jacket.

"That part of it doesn't really interest me anymore." He specified. "It's what you were doing to my owner that is. The fact that you were trying to hurt Lucy…that I cannot forgive." His fierce black gaze locked onto his target with a promise of pain.

"Can't forgive? Give me a break! There's no way you can beat me! Every time we tussled before, I was pulling my punches!" The Puppet Master blurted out, annoyed. He pointed at them and Lucy jumped slightly in alarm, ready to react when the moment came. "Let's go tease him a little, Babies! Just like old times!"

"Lucy, stand away!" The lion spirit commanded and he thrust his arm in front of her.

"What do you think you're saying?" She snapped in response to his over-protectiveness. She pulled the whip that hung on her hip from its place on her belt and let it snap out to crack against the stone roof under them. She straitened to show that she meant business and prepared herself to use the weapon to teach her opponent a serious lesson. But first…she had to make sure that he and everyone else understood the way she did things. "Celestial Spirits aren't my shields!" The young mage declared everything she was both taught since childhood _and_ believed with every inch of her being. "My style is to fight alongside them!" For a moment, mage and spirit exchanged heartening smiles before Happy ruined the moment with one of his stupid remarks.

"You two are doing it?" He chuckled into his grubby little paws and Lucy became annoyed…and embarrassed too of course.

"Not even close!" She shot back at the cat. She would have to sit down with him later and explain how Loke hadn't even crossed her mind as being a possible romantic interest; she saw him as a weird older brother along with Natsu, Gray and most other Fairy Tail members. She had absolutely no romance in her life and hadn't really planned on having any either. There was no time for it! Her life as a Fairy Tail wizard was just too hectic.

"I'll find a way to deal with the puppets! You've got Bickslow himself when I clear the way!" Loke said.

"Okay! Let's go Happy!" The Celestial Mage readily agreed to the simple plan and waited for the lion to make his move. Under the watch of the blonde and the blue cat, Loke gathered his power into his hands and attacked the dolls; he tore through them with the ferocity of a true beast. Lucy smiled in awe of his strength and Happy cheered. Bickslow on the other hand, wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"I keep telling you guys that it's useless! Attacks don't work on souls! "You can break them all you want, I just move them to new puppets!" He laughed before giving his next command to his lackeys. "Now go, New Babies!"

Several dolls broke off from the onslaught attacking Loke to go after the Celestial Mage instead, but the spirit was nothing if not diligent. He slid in front despite Lucy's battle-ready stance and put an end to their presumptuous assault.

"You can send as many as you like! They'll never get close to Lucy!" Snapped Loke in response and continued to plow through the crowd as if they were made of tissue paper.

Agitated, Bickslow scowled and sent even more after the powerful spirit. Noticing how her opponent was currently concentrating on her partner, she realized that her time had come.

"Happy!" She called, and on cue the cat immediately knew what was wanted of him.

"Aye!" His wings spread and he grabbed the back of Lucy's cheer uniform; the pair took off toward the Puppet Master without hesitation.

"This is my chance." The girl cried, her arm pulling her whip back. Once she was close enough to see the outline of Bickslow's eyes through his visor, she struck with as much ferocity as she could muster. "Now take this and learn from it!" Unfortunately, the creep was quick on his feet and danced out of the way, but Lucy was not deterred. Now that she was close enough to act, she would just have to wait for him to run his mouth again.

"Oh, you got me scared now, Ms. Queen!" He laughed heartily and the blonde gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"I told you I'm not like that!"

From the roof below, Loke's voice called up words of encouragement. "Bickslow isn't all that powerful on his own! Hang in there!" He rushed to finish destroying the puppets and join his master, but the dolls were like mosquitos; no matter how many he smashed, sliced, and squashed, more just kept coming.

"What did you say, you jerk?" The spirit's comment did not go unnoticed by the tall man. In fact, he found it extremely insulting that he would say such a thing.

With the crazy soul-sucker distracted, Lucy took the opportunity to reel her arm back and use the end of her weapon to smack him in the face. An exceptionally comical sound escaped him at the impact, which only made her feel even prouder of herself. _How was that for whip lash_! She held in her snide thought when she noticed her opponent reaching up to begin taking off the visor over his eyes. She only briefly noted the soft "tap' of her partner's shoes on the cement signaling that he'd jumped up to land slightly behind her on the roof.

"Dammit! Looks like I'm going to have to use this…" Bickslow grumbled to himself and Lucy wondered what he was up to. "Figure Eyes." A new grin plastered itself onto his face. His big, psycho grin held her attention for a moment so she didn't have time to meet his gaze before Happy was able to cry out his warning.

"Don't look into his eyes! Lucy! Loke!" Remembering what happened the last time she failed to follow a similar command, the girl immediately complied. She had no idea what would happen if she looked, but preferred to not find out through experience. Once more, Happy, who had been holding important information, finally decided to share the rest of his knowledge. "Every one of the Thunder God Tribe has a secondary magical attack done through their eyes!" He explained and added how Evergreen uses hers as a main attack though. From behind her, Lucy heard Loke make a surprise yet exasperated sound. He hadn't known either? The cat wasn't done talking though. "If you look into Bickslow's eyes, you turn into a puppet! And he can control your soul!"

"That was close!" The girl realized…but there was now another problem that arose from closing her eyes.

"So now your eyes are all shut?" She heard her opponent ask just before a barrage to attacks collided with her body. It felt as if she was being pelted with rocks wrapped in fire; the places of impact ached then burned, causing her to cry out. From the sound of things, both Happy and Loke were under attack as well and just as helpless. The Lion Spirit verbally cursed the situation and struggled to come up with a plan as he managed to swat one of the puppets dive-bombing him.

"Hya ha ha ha! Nobody can beat my combination of Figure Eyes and Soul Puppetry!" Bickslow boasted with glee; he was sure that victory was his without a doubt. The desperate trio was determined to not give up though and searched for the right counter-attack.

"Lucy! Horologium is the answer!" Loke suddenly yelled. "I'll go back through my gate for a moment and you can be protected inside Horologium!" Lucy figured he was correct that the clock could remove her from harm, but she didn't have her keys. Besides, there had to be a better way…

"Remember why you came out on your own? My keys were stolen! Besides…you know that you have my trust! So do something about this!" For a moment after her exclamation, the area was still with silence so she heard his one-worded answer quite clearly.

"Right." He said. "Then we have to do an all-or nothing attack, so when I give the signal, open your eyes and charge him!" Lucy was unsure.

"But…if I open my eyes…"

"You said you trusted me, right?"

Lucy smiled. "All right." How could she not when he sounded so positive.

"Regulus on full!" The lion spirit charged his power; the girl could feel its intensity from where she was standing.

"Before you try any stupid tricks, I'll finish you off! Baryon Formation!" Bickslow yelled and Lucy knew what he was trying to pull off the moment the words left his mouth. Trusting Loke, she waited for him to give the signal and stayed put, despite the knowledge of what the current attack being formed could do.

"Lion's Radiance!" Loke exclaimed and through her eyelids Lucy saw a bright light shine around them and heard her opponent gasp.

"What? Some blinding attack?" Bickslow's voice was slightly strained.

"Now!" Loke ordered.

"Yeah!" She breathed out as she made her move. Her eyes shot open and once she locked onto her target, the girl pulled her arm back before shooting it forward. The end of her whip lashed through the air until it met with the Puppet Master, where it wrapped around his neck. He gagged and his eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise and from the sudden loss of oxygen. She had her first look at the weirdo's face; he had sharp piercing eyes and oddly styled hair. Either way he was a real weirdo. She pulled and instinctively Bickslow grabbed hold as well and pulled back. After a brief bout of tug of war to make sure he was no getting away, Lucy called for Loke to do his thing.

"Yes!"

"There's no way…that you can beat me…" Gasped Bickslow with obvious effort.

"I was a different man back then!" The lion spirit yelled. "After I met Lucy, I had my original Celestial powers returned to me! No, even more! I've become much, much stronger since I met Lucy! We're nothing like those puppets of yours!" He gathered his powers into his right fist and began to charge. "Love makes a Celestial Spirit stronger!" Loke slammed his attack into the Puppet Master's gut and a bright light radiated around them. Bickslow flew back, unconscious before his feet even left the ground, and landed heavily on his side. It was over.

"You did it!" Happy cheered from the sidelines. He hopped merrily from paw to paw and skipped up to Lucy, his tail held high with glee. The blonde grinned at him fondly before stumbling back a step slightly. She quickly caught herself and forced herself to stand tall. Her whole body hurt all over and she felt as week as a newborn calf, but a win was still a win. She turned to Loke and offered him a soft smile of gratitude.

"Thank you, Loke…"

"Look at this, Lucy! It's the light of love!" Using his powers, he lit up a wall so the words 'I Love Lucy' were visible. What a kidder. The girl was unsure of how to respond, so she chose to simply remain silent, but Happy on the other hand was glad to add his own little comment.

"You are like so doing it." He giggled.

"That phrasing makes it sound especially awful. And no, we're not." Loke offered to fetch her keys and she readily agreed. With all of her aches and pains that she got from both the fight and from exhaustion, Lucy felt her body begin to rapidly weaken even more now that she wasn't running on pure adrenaline. Loke helped her down from the roof to a nearby alley where she would be out of public eye, then wandered off to find her keys. The girl stumbled back a couple of steps before managing to fall onto a pile of sacks filled with unknown substances. "My body…it doesn't seem to want to move.." she mumbled out as the blue cat stood next to her and watched with what could have been concern if he hadn't known it was from simply overexerting herself.

"No wonder. You called two Golden Gate keys in the same fight!" The cat stated just as the battle spirit rounded the building's corner.

"Whenever you need me, I'll come to the rescue." The lion spirit said leaning over slightly to offer the keys along with a gentle smile to the girl. Lucy's lips twisted up in return as she replied.

"Yeah…thanks." The fight had left her rather breathless and doing something even as simple as speaking was difficult. There was no way she would be able to run around Magnolia in search of one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages. Both Loke and Happy gathered around her in concern but she knew that soon the Celestial Spirit would have to return to his own world. Her gaze drifted from the pair to focus on the blue sky; the day was so nice that it was rather hard to believe that so much unrest was going on in the world at that moment.

With a sigh, she allowed her lids to droop, blocking out everything from her sight as her head fell back to rest on a sack of grain. She would allow herself a bit of a breather, but only for a short while. Since evacuating the town safely and in time wasn't possible, she would have to try something else. Perhaps if she could just find Laxus…who knows…maybe she could help talk some sense to him…


	11. Chapter 11: Forever Invincible

…_I am very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very sorry. I've had a tough year; it's basically been homework hell…Sadly it's not over yet, but I have finally finished this chapter (sigh of relief). I've been working on it for the past eleven months so I am very frustrated and annoyed. I have another essay to write (sob), so until next time, bye._

_Chapter Eleven: Forever Invincible_

Lucy woke with a start. Wait…she'd fallen asleep? For how long?! Damn! The girl tried to lift her body, but found the task extremely difficult; she'd used up too much magic in her fight with Bickslow. At her side, she felt a small form wiggle closer into her. Straining her eyes against the light, she looked down to see Happy sound asleep and drooling on her cheer uniform.

"Hey…Happy…" She said, her voice coming out weak and pained. The blue cat didn't stir, so she tried again. "Wake up…There's no time." She managed a little louder, yet still he remained unconscious. Slowly, Lucy reached over and gently

pinched his fuzzy cheek. Happy's eyes instantly flew open as his little paws grasped around her wrist in an attempt to pry her off.

"What was that for Lucy?!" He whined and the girl frowned.

"Why were you asleep? This is no time to be taking naps!" She lectured and struggled to get on her feet. She felt so weak.

"But I was tired and you were doing it!" Happy, noticing her difficulty, flew into the air, grasped her hand, and pulled.

"I wasn't trying to; you should have woken me up." She retorted then paused. "Thanks." She breathed out once she was back on her feet.

The cat yawned, his ears flattening slightly as his head tilted back. Rubbing sleep from his eye, he asked, "Now what are we going to do?"

"Now we have to find Laxus." Lucy replied. Her fingers traced her belt to make sure that her keys and whip were securely fastened. Assured, the Celestial Wizard straightened the best she could and began to stumble from her resting area. Once she was out of the ally and back on the cobblestone lanes, Lucy noticed that civilians were back on the street, even if it was just the braver ones. Taking a deep calming breath, the mage picked a direction and began walking.

She was not sure on where she was going exactly, but if she was truly lucky, she'd find Laxus soon; her slow pace wasn't going to get anything done though. To her relief, shifting her pace to a jog was easier to do now that she was already up and moving. Happy fluttered through the air over her head, hurrying ahead every so often to check the area for traps.

After the third time, he fell into her arms to be carried. Such a lazy cat…

Lucy gave him a slight squeeze as she felt her legs grow heaver with each step. Wandering aimlessly would take forever and would waste the little energy she had; they needed a game plan. Perhaps if they made a list of most likely spots where Laxus could be waiting…

"We have to think…" Lucy muttered to herself as she slowed to a stop, catching the cat's attention. "If I was Laxus where would I be…?" She paused to think. "It would have to be a place where he could be in the thick of things and easily watch over the town. A place where he could see people coming; most likely with only one way in and out…"

"Aye…and it would have to have enough space for him to fight while still providing cover." Happy added activating his wings once more to hover around the girl's head. Lucy glanced up and down the street, but other than the top of the Cathedral, she could not see past the buildings on either side.

"This is no good…Happy could you fly me up higher so I could see more?" She inquired hurriedly. Time was running out.

Little blue paws grasped the back of Lucy's shirt as a determined "Aye" met her ears. A moment later the blonde found herself in the sky. The town of Magnolia stretched out under her. Save for the lake behind the guild hall, the town was surrounded by hilly terrain, both forested as well as farmed. She could make out the train tracks expanding from the station to Hargeon in the south, Onibas and Oshibashi in the west, and Oak Town in the north. The westbound tracks rested behind her and out of her line of vision as she searched the center of town. She could barely make out her home by the river that wound its way through Magnolia's buildings as the angle was bad. Despite the great view of the landscape, Kardia Cathedral blocked a large number of the town from her sight as well. It was so huge and overbearing as it loomed over Magnolia; no matter where she stood in the town, she could easily locate the double towers.

"Can you go higher…I can't see what's beyond the Cathedral!" Lucy called over the wind. As Happy began to ascend, realization hit her. "Wait…That's it!" She cried out, startling the cat into almost dropping her.

"What's it?" he asked once he recovered.

"The Cathedral! It's at the center of town, basically has only one way in, and it has lots of space. I bet that's where he is!" She yelled. As if to prove her right, several crashes followed by shouting drifted from the Cathedral's direction. The pair's eyes lit up with hope and determination. "See! Happy, let's go! Hurry up!"

The cat's magical wings fluttered as fast as they could. It would have taken a couple of minutes to walk, but from the air the trip decreased to seconds. Happy carried the girl around the great building to the entrance.

Immediately after turning the corner, a flash of scarlet caught their attention. Instead of landing directly before the Cathedral, Happy sped after the redhead.

"Erza!" Lucy called out. The older girl turned in surprise.

"Lucy?! And Happy! What are you doing here?"

"We figured that Laxus was here…" Lucy felt herself touch down and Happy land on the head. His added weight didn't help her already stiff neck.

"He is and Natsu is fighting him. You should get away from here; it's too dangerous for you two." The words had barely left her mouth when a hot blast of air followed by and explosion caught the group's attention. Lucy spun to face the Cathedral. She could make out flashes of flames and lightning through the elaborate double doors that had been left ajar. When a pained cry from Natsu met her ears, Lucy forgot about Happy, Erza, and Erza's warning; all that mattered in that moment was Laxus and what he was doing to Natsu and the guild.

Suddenly she was running toward the source of the noise. Though he legs were weak and threatened to give out with each step and Erza ordered for her to stop and turn back, the Celestial Mage felt as if she had to go. She had to see Laxus and talk to him herself. Even if he didn't care and didn't hesitate to attack, she felt as if she had formed a bond with him. Despite his arrogance and dirty mind, she had come to truly like him; he was smart, strong, and determined. If he wasn't such an ass he would have set a great goal for her to reach for.

As she dashed up the steps, she caught glimpses of two forms moving within the building, the sunlight shone through the stained glass windows, brightening Natsu's pink hair and Laxus' blonde. For a split second she recalled the sight of him camped out with the moon shining in his eyes and giving his hair an almost silvery gleam. He'd looked so different that night…so calm. What had made him hide that side of himself? What had made him so angry as to provoke him into attacking Fairy Tail so cruelly?

Lucy collapsed against the door frame so she wouldn't fall over, her head hanging and she inhaled deeply. Her skull felt like it was made of lead…and Happy wasn't helping. She'd been blocking out all noise, but his sharp gasp brought her back; knowing the reason for his reaction, she was afraid to look up, but somehow she managed to force all fear away.

As she took in the sight of the two mages wailing on each other, she felt her breath leave her. She'd never seen anything so brutal before in her life. Even Natsu's fight with Gajeel had not felt as intense as the current battle did. The Dragon Slayer was doing amazingly well; Lucy had heard that it had only taken a single hit to knock him out in past scuffles. Currently though, he was taking blow after blow from Laxus yet still remained standing. He even managed a few hits of his own in the short time the girl watched.

Both fighters were strong and had amazing stamina and durability. The girl admitted that though the scene was bloody, it was also almost like a dance. When one moved, the other reacted accordingly. It was a continuous and mesmerizing spectacle, almost appearing practiced if not for the obvious pain involved with each blow.

Propelled into the air by a punch to his jaw, Natsu recovered and twisted to bring his leg down and across to the side of his opponent's skull. The larger male didn't even stagger. However, his head was forced to the side slightly and in that instant he caught sight of Lucy in the corner of his eye. During that brief moment that his attention was settled on the girl, Natsu managed a second kick to his jaw. He stumbled back a step, but quickly retaliated. As soon as Natsu was skidding across the floor and slamming into a pillar he allowed a second glance at Lucy. She appeared to be in a state of shock.

Why was she here? When did she show up? The last time Laxus had checked, Bickslow and her had just begun to fight. He stopped paying attention after that since he didn't need the screen to tell him that the girl was going to be slaughtered by the Puppet Master. He'd been sure that her fate was inevitable since he wasn't about to stop his plan just because some girl was about to meet a less than happy ending. Yet there she stood…a little banged up, but still in one piece.

Natsu growled as he jumped to his feet once more, flames spewing from his mouth in agitation.

"Come on, Laxus! Let's end this!" He yelled and began to charge again, but the sight of his two friends in the doorway made him skid to a halt. "Happy? Lucy? When did you get here?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer, but found that no sound would come out. Happy, on the other hand, had no difficulties telling the tale.

"Lucy and I defeated Bickslow! Then, after a nap, we came here because Lucy wanted to talk to La-"

"GO AWAY!" Laxus suddenly roared, silencing the cat and causing everyone to jump in surprise. The change had been so sudden…before he'd hid behind a mask of indifference, but the cat's word's sent a jolt of indecision through him. He couldn't allow such a thing; if he wanted to win, then he had to remain steadfast. When the girl didn't move, he decided the try more drastic methods.

Lightning struck the marble floor barely a foot from the girl, causing her to jump back in alarm while Happy yelped.

"Guys!" Natsu called out, concerned, before whirling back to his opponent. "Look were you're aiming, Laxus. Your fight is with me!"

"She's pissing me off! Unless you want to see her dead, tell her to go away!" The taller man growled menacingly.

"What'd they ever do to you?!" Natsu bit back before a cocky grin slowly slid over his lips. "Me on the other hand…I'm about to give you lots to get angry about." The fire engulfing his fists amplified, sending waves of heat around him. Laxus forced himself to focus on the raging Dragon Slayer, summoning power into his fists. If the boy wanted to be crushed with an audience watching, then so be it. His gaze shifted to Lucy one last time before he expunged her existence completely from his mind. It was time to get serious.

The two charged before a crack of fist meeting face echoed around the Cathedral. The two twisted to let lose a follow-up strike, both refusing to give an inch or to show any hint of pain. Natsu fell into a crouch then lunged forward, releasing a barrage of punches that Laxus blocked before bringing his elbow down on the boy's head. He did not bother trying to dodge; instead he braced for the attack and sent a powerful uppercut into the taller male's jaw.

Angered further by the successful hit, Laxus grasped Natsu by his scarf and lifted him over his head, flinging him at the wall. The Dragon Slayer twisted so his hit feet first. He pushed off, sending himself toward his opponent like a flaming torpedo. Laxus dodged and Natsu hit the marble tiles at a roll; spinning into another crouch.

They stood ready with their eyes locked on their target, only moving to wipe the touch of blood from the corner of their mouth or from the cut over their eye.

"Is that it? I thought this was supposed to be a fight." Natsu smirked and Laxus snorted in response.

"Don't get cocky, kid. In less than two minutes this town will be turned to dust."

Lucy and Happy gasped in unison. They had forgotten about the Thunder Palace. The blonde shook her head; so that was what Erza was doing. Though she had not really thought about it at the time, Lucy realized that there had to be a _very_ good reason for the powerful knight to just run from a fight with Laxus. But could she truly take down every lacrima in less such little time. Then there was the danger of the link magic...

Natsu suddenly called all attention back on himself with a short, raspy laugh.

"I told you not to worry…" He said lowly. "Erza will take care of those things and end this. Then you won't have to worry about not being able to back out anymore."

The onlookers watched Laxus grow even angrier. He took on an almost murderous expression and Lucy wondered if Natsu had hit the nail on the head. The older mage was so proud that he hated having his current indecision, his weakness, pointed out for the entire world to see.

Before the girl could finish her thought, Laxus vanished from her sight only to reappear before the smaller male. A lightning charged fist sent the boy flying back and into the pillar he had hit earlier, causing it to crack further and for the Cathedral to shake.

"Maybe we _should_ get out of here, Lucy…" The cat softy said in a quivering voice. His paws resting on her head clutched her hair in both worry and fight. Lucy bit back tears; she couldn't let the feline be stronger than her.

"I know, but-"

"_Hey everyone, do you hear me_?" A sudden voice made the cat and Celestial Mage jump in surprise for what felt like the millionth time that day. While the girl turned to look around in search of the speaker, Happy realized what was going on. "_This is an emergency! Look up in the sky_!" The voice continued as Lucy searched behind the Cathedral doors.

"No Lucy…" Happy said. "It's Warren. He's using Telepathy."

"Telepathy?!" She gasped rather loudly, but the two fighters remained too wrapped up in their battle to notice.

"Yeah. Go outside." He activated his wings and glided out to stare up at the sky. Lucy gave Laxus and Natsu one last pained look before following.

"Does he mean the lightning lacrima?" She questioned out loud, not expecting an actual answer from Warren himself.

"_That's exactly what I mean_."

"He can hear me?!" She gasped, feeling rather violated.

"_I sure can. Anyway, everybody who's down, get up now! Anybody still battling, break it up_!" The voice in her head continued and other smaller ones joined in, though they were obviously other members who Warren had connected him mind to. "_Listen to me…Those things in the sky are magic that are about to rain down destruction on everything! Laxus set them up and if we want to save the town, we'll have to destroy them. But we're out of time! We'll have to work together and destroy them all at once!_"

Familiar voices gasped over the information, making the Celestial Mage feel as if her mind was getting way too crowded. One voice in particular caught her attention though.

"_Warren, how did you know about the Thunder Palace_…?" It was Erza who spoke. Lucy wanted to call out an apology for running off the way she had, but Gray spoke up first, answering the Lady Knight's question.

"_That voice! Erza, right?! So you're okay_?!" Immediately the other members came alive with questions about the welfare of the other girls, even mentioning that they had heard Lucy earlier. Jet and Droy inquired upon Levi while Cana and Mirajane eagerly responded. Lucy smiled at how genuinely concerned everyone was…it was quite touching.

"_I'm sorry, but my telepathy isn't getting through to the guild, so everybody that can hear me…those things floating in the sky_-"

"_Warren you creep! Have you forgotten what you did to me_?!" The moment that line cut through her mind, a short silence fell before the tone of the connection took on an irate feel.

Suddenly a wave of agitated voices exploded in Lucy's head. She flinched and covered her ears, but it did nothing to help with the noise. Even Happy tried to block them out, but discovered that no matter how far he shoved his paws in, it did not let up.

"_M-Max?! I'm sorry about that…I was going all out to save the girls_…" Warren tried, but he became lost in the confusion. The voices seemed to mold into one as anger overwhelmed the Fairy Tail members.

"_Oh, that's right! Can you hear this, Alzack?! You didn't have to be so darn rough! You too, Nigy! Damnit! You're our Tono, but I'll never forgive you for it_! _I can't believe you would do that_! _I'll get you later, you jerk!_"

Just a moment ago everyone was so caring and yet they changed so suddenly into yelling out death threats back and forth! It was painful to listen to.

Lucy spun on her heal and returned to the Cathedral's doorway, taking in the brutal battle between guild mates…family. What she was hearing was hardly any better than what she was seeing. Worse still was that there was only forty-five seconds left until the Thunder Palace was to be activated!

She shook her head, but it all continued. It was too much! Everyone was fighting and shouting at each other and she had flashbacks of her father yelling at her. Lucy couldn't stand it any longer; she opened her mouth, not caring what she said as long as it made them all stop. Once more though, Gray beat her to it.

"_Save your petty arguments for after_!" He shouted so he could be heard. Though most of the others responded in kind, the Ice Mage did not give up. "_We're out of time here! Just Destroy those things in the sky_!"

"_N-No! They have Organic Link Magic on them_…!" Erza argued, but it was obvious that still no one was listening; however, though they were arguing, Lucy could hear their thoughts as they turned their attention to their targets in the air. Lucy checked the magic screen that Laxus had in the Cathedral. Only twenty seconds remained.

"Let's do this Happy." She said, determined to help.

"Are you sure? It's going to hurt."

"Even if it hurts, let's go." Lucy pulled her whip from her belt; it cut the air with a sharp crack that echoed around the mighty hall. Neither male noticed though; they were still too engulfed in their fight again. She heard Erza claim the two hundred lacrima to the north as she turned. Lucy made two steps before Happy grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her into the sky. The wind slapped her face, drying her old tears. As the ground pulled further and further away, Lucy pointed Happy to her mark. The link with the rest of the guild helped her time her attack so it was in sync with everyone's.

The cat released her above the lacrima before vying off to speed toward a target of his own. As Lucy fell near the gleaming yellow crystal, she blocked everything from her mind save for her goal. Just as she relied on everyone, they were currently relying on her. She would do her best for Fairy Tail no matter the consequence. She pulled her whip around to give it momentum before bringing her arm down. The leather blurred through the air and slashed through the lacrima, shattering it. Still falling, she lifted her gaze to see all of the lightening lacrima exploding around her; the falling shards looked like diamond dust before disintegrating. To her right Happy was flapping clumsily while he recovered from head-butting such a hard object at maximum speed.

She smiled toward him; they'd done it. All of the lacrima was destroyed and the town was safe again…at least for the time being. Happy glided over to catch her, cheerfully exclaiming at how awesome what had just happened was. Lucy readily agreed.

They were about ten feet from the ground when Lucy felt every hair on her body stand on end; it was the only warning before the dreaded lacrima defense kicked in.

Lucy could barely hear her own screams over the ones of her guild mates connected to her mind; Erza's was the loudest. The shocking jolts burned through her entire being, seeming to freeze her focus so it was centered on the pain. She didn't even notice when she and the cat fell the last of the way down and collapsed onto the cobblestone steps of the Cathedral. It was over as quickly as it had begun, but her already sore body was left in excruciating shape. She probably looked even worse sprawled out on the steps the way she was with her hair smoking, her clothes torn, and a blue cat passed out on her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The two mages inside the building froze at the screams of the two a little ways beyond the door. Natsu's eyes widened as he turned in the direction with concern overtaking his normally determined and cocky expression.

"Happy! Lucy! Hey guys!" He called, rushing to the double doors, but Laxus didn't let him get far. The lightening mage needed only to glance at the magic screen to know what happened and that the girl along with everyone else would be fine. However, the news was not what his mind accepted as good; he'd failed again. Why? How could such weaklings manage to escape every trap he set, even if it was just barely? Whys was nothing he did good enough? Fury surged up from so deep within him, he felt emotionally swept out to sea. He was so blinded with rage and without control that his lightening practically moved on its own when it shot out and blocked Natsu's path, exploding the floor.

"We're not done here." Laxus snarled. "You can go when I say you can." Natsu was forced to dodge another attack, flipping back toward the center of the Cathedral while twisting away from flying debris. His eyes were unable to stay away from the doors; he had to know what happened to his friends!

"Laxus, what did you do?" He demanded since his opponent was obviously not going to allow him to go see for himself.

"Nothing. They're just a little shocked is all." The larger male replied with a cold, almost completely detached smirk stretched over his face. Natsu would have been shaken by such a look if he did not notice Laxus' fists tighten, signaling his frustration. It reminded the boy that the man before him was still the guy he grew up with and was still human. Just slightly out of his mind at the moment.

"You've got to be kidding me! That wasn't _nothing_!" Natsu snapped back, his gaze darting back to the doors.

"Compared to what I'm about to do to you, it is." Laxus continued to smirk, but it strained as Natsu continued to steel glances toward the opening. It was growing more and more irritating with each look; though deep down Laxus had to admit that he too found the current silence to be unsettling, but stubbornness born from irritation over Natsu's dismissal sealed away any thoughts of acting on any such feelings. He was going to finish what he started; it was for the best now that everyone else was out of his way. He just had Natsu left to deal with and once he was down, Fairy Tail would be his to build back up to greatness; it wasn't worth anything unless it at the absolute top. Nothing was. That was the lesson he learned from his father before he was expelled from the guild. In the end, bonds did not matter; only power did.

As the young Dragon Slayer continued to express more concern over what was going on outside of the Cathedral than inside, Laxus grew weary of the whole affair. He decided to finish it immediately; no more standing around and waiting for him to get serious.

Laxus glowered before suddenly lunging forward, taking Natsu by surprise. He swung his leg out to trip him and when the boy jumped to dodge, the larger male seized his vest and slammed him down with as much force as he could muster. The tile shattered as the floor caved into a crater, but Laxus was not satisfied. Holding his opponent down, he released a barrage of lightening-charged punches that cracked and split the floor even more. Pounding the boy was far from satisfying; he wasn't even able to properly defend himself, but he did not let up or hold back. It wasn't until a low feminine moan reached their ears that he was stopped mid-punch. His arm was pulled back, prepared to strike, but Natsu's hand gripped his fist holding it place. Both of their heads automatically turned toward the open doors where the noise had come from.

"Owww…Happy…Are you okay?" The soft, strained voice of Lucy was barely audible; the cat's was even more so.

"Aye…"

That was all it took. Natsu's face split into a grin of relief and satisfaction.

"They're alright…" He said to Laxus who looked down at him feeling some relief of his determination to not care. No longer distracted, the pink-haired boy breathed deep before releasing a roar of flames that Laxus couldn't dodge completely. After landing a good distance way, he scowled at the smoking fur on his coat. "Okay…" Natsu said punching his palm and taking a cool-battle-ready pose, "Let's finally get this thing started. I'm all fired up now!"

"Do you say that every time you get into a fight?" Laxus taunted, shrugging his coat off and removing his headphones; he dropped them on top of the pile of fur. "It is seriously getting old." As he discarded the items, the man pushed all thoughts that were not related to grounding Natsu into pulp out of his mind for the last time.

"No! I don't! And it's not!" Natsu snapped back; he liked his witty line.

"Oh, just most of the time, then." The lightening mage forced a grin as electricity lit up his body. Fully charged, he sent a powerful bolt of his magic across the Cathedral. It was finally time to get serious.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Lucy, though she'd finally managed to say something, still couldn't quite find the energy to move her body. No matter how much she internally screamed at herself about how she had to get up and stop Laxus from killing Natsu and taking over the guild, her limbs refused to even so much as twitch. Happy seemed to be in a similar situation since he had yet to get off her face (which made talking, or even breathing for that matter, awkward. Plus the cat was far from pleasant smelling).

After the destruction of the lacrima, Grey, Erza, Macao, Alzack, Jet, Droy, Nab, and all the others mumbled their inquiries on each other's condition.

Lucy listened to them for a minute until Warren's link broke and once more her mind was silent save for her own thoughts. She made a few efforts to speak to Happy, but it took a while to actually manage it since her jaw was so slack and useless.

She lay like that for several minutes even after finally succeeding, intently focusing on the soft sound of the cat's breathing as well as the crashes and booms that shook the Cathedral's very foundation. What was going on in there?

In spite of her concentrating on the sounds of the fight, she eventually noticed another noise that she recognized as approaching footsteps. They stopped directly next to her, but she found that she was still too exhausted to even worry that it could possibly be one of the Thunder God Tribe here for revenge or something. It wasn't until Happy was lifted off of her face that she discovered that the one kneeling over her with the cat in his hand was actually just Gajeel.

"What the hell is up with you two?" He questioned. "Don't tell me that guy did this…?" Lucy managed to open her mouth, but it was Happy who responded.

"No…we helped take out the lacrima."

"Really?" The Metal Dragon Slayer was surprised once more by the little blonde girl. "You're not nearly as wimpy as I originally pegged you as." He snorted and Lucy glared at him.

"Shut up." She managed to mumble, but Gajeel didn't notice. The atmosphere took on an ominous feel as air and ground began to rumbling beneath and around them, as if energy was gathering into a powerful attack; even the clouds darkened.

"Damn…!" Gajeel growled out, dropping Happy back where he'd found him and dashing away up the rest of the steps to the building. Suddenly afraid again, Lucy struggled to turn her head to look. She ignored her screaming muscles and joints until she managed to roll over slightly. She didn't make it in time though. She could hear Laxus speaking, but could not make out what it was…perhaps an incantation or something. He wasn't actually going to try to kill Natsu was he? By the time she maneuvered herself enough to see inside the place, an explosion rattled her teeth and shook her to her core. Dust carried by a blast of air blew out to engulf her and Happy, who was gripping her hair as he struggled to make out what was going on as well.

"Wha…" He tried to speak, but instead choked on the thick cloud polluting the area around them.

"I don't know…" She coughed back. "Laxus…"

"I hope…Natsu is okay." Happy whispered and Lucy swallowed hard.

"I'm sure he is…" Natsu was on the top of Lucy's dependable people list; there was no way he would allow himself to be stopped when so many people were relying on him. Besides…, "Gajeel went in to help him…I'm sure of it. Now they can both stop Laxus."

It wasn't until the dust settled though, that she was granted the relief of having her words be proven correct. The two Dragon Slayers were together opposite the older and stronger mage, but things still didn't look good. Laxus had completely lost it; Lucy could hardly believe it was the same guy who dragged her away on that job not too long ago…the same guy who gave her so much money despite their earlier agreement…the same guy looking at the stars that night…What was wrong with him? What could drive him to this?

"Disappear! Disappear!" He laughed wildly. Natsu was on the ground as if dropped unceremoniously while Gajeel spoke to him, and Lucy had a feeling that they both were not too pleased with the idea to teaming up to fight Laxus. Considering the crazed look in his eyes though, it was necessary.

When the unlikely team finally took action, Lucy was shocked to discover that they actually worked well together. Their movements were almost in synch; when one attacked, the other would support or defend. Gajeel's iron combined with Natsu's fire resulted in magic Lucy couldn't dream of having. They were amazing. Yet…somehow Laxus was better. He blocked every blow, retaliated without pause; grabbing one to throw at the other as the crazed grin on his face only grew.

"That's impossible…" Lucy whispered. How could Laxus still be more powerful than the two Dragon Slayers working together? She started to understand how he could label everyone else in the guild as weak when compared to himself. Could this whole fight be hopeless? Was there chance of winning?

Realizing where her thoughts were going, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. _No_! She could not lose hope! She could not let go…not after everything Fairy Tail had done for her, after everything they'd been through…

A large chunk of debris flew out of the war zone and crashed onto the steps less than a foot from where Lucy and Happy lay. Both squealed and jumped, wincing from the sudden movement.

"Maybe we should move." Happy suggested eyeing the rock worriedly. Lucy nodded in agreement, but was still unable to do much more than crawl and drag her useless self a foot or two before having to rest.

She was distracted by shouts and explosions as the Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers roared, their power rattling the Cathedral. It took Lucy a moment to realize that they'd hit Laxus with their attack; he'd been in mid-air with no way to dodge. Lucy held her breath waiting for dust to settle. Happy whimpered next to her ear and both squinted as a shape became distinguishable in the cloud. The moment Lucy saw Laxus standing unharmed, though now missing his shirt, she released the breath she had not realized she'd been holding and curled her hands into tight fists.

The fight continued, but something else stole the blonde's attention from the battling trio. The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching and a surprised cry from a familiar voice startled Lucy enough that her head snapped around before she could remember that it would hurt.

"Lucy?" Levi's voice was shaking as she dashed from the rows of buildings and slowed to a stop in front of the collapsed cat and girl. Lucy's eyes widened when she saw her friend's swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Something had happened.

"Laxus is in there, right…" It was not a question in need of an answer since the sound of the battling Dragon Slayers was impossible to miss.

"Natsu and Gajeel are working together." Happy stated almost excitedly; Lucy knew he was putting on a brave face to cover up his worry since it did not seem enough to defeat the raging lightening mage. Meanwhile, Lucy studied her friend's shaking hands and bloodshot eyes.

"Is Master okay?" She asked gently and Levi sniffed and quickly wiped fresh tears from her eyes.

"I need to talk to Laxus." She replied, her voice cracking and leaving a sense of foreboding with the blonde. Whatever happened was worse than any of the past situation that Lucy had faced within the guild; now was no time to be collapsed on the ground.

"I'm coming with you." She breathed out and prepared to stand.

"Wait!" Happy cried out. "You can barely move, so you shouldn't even try to get up." His concern touched her heart, but Lucy didn't have the patience or energy to respond.

"Help me up, Levi." She panted instead, feeling like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time as her arms shook weakly under her torso's weight, her muscles aching and joints screaming. The smaller girl gripped her arm and pulled Lucy up until she could slide her arm over Levi's shoulder for support.

"Whaaaa! Lucy's ignoring me!" Happy wailed from on top of her head and buried his face in her hair. She hoped that he was not wiping his snot on her, but there was no way she was going to reach up to find out.

Leaning on Levi, Lucy managed to hobble up the last couple steps so they stood a few feet within Cathedral; sand blew around them as explosions and shouts continued to shake the foundation and rattle their teeth. Jumping from the hazy cloud of debris, Laxus pushed off a pillar to dodge Gajeel's attack while Natsu charged to meet him in the air. He grabbed the boy by his scarf and twisted to use him as a shield as an iron sword shot toward him. Gajeel pulled back before he could stab Natsu, giving Laxus the opportunity to attack. He threw the fire mage and inhaled deeply, scales forming on his shoulders and spreading to his arms. Lucy barely had time to recognize the attack from witnessing it performed by the two Dragon Slayers before when Laxus released a roar of lightening that blinded everyone in the area.

The girls and the cat were thrown off their feet, but all Lucy could think was how Laxus could use Dragon Slayer magic. She landed roughly on her side, coughing as the air was violently pushed from her lungs. Happy fell from her head and bounced down the stairs, being carried away by the wind.

When things settled down again, Lucy glanced up to see Happy grumbling as he got up and brushed himself off. So he was able to stand on his own the whole time, huh? The little…

"Lucy, are you okay?" Levi asked. The Celestial Mage coughed a couple more times before managing a husky 'yes'.

"Why don't you just die?" Laxus' voice echoed out to them. The two friends hurriedly helped each other up as Natsu and Gajeel answered him with groans of pain. "You two, Erza, Mystogan…" Laxus continued as Lucy leaned against Levi. The blonde girl wondered if she imagined the slight pause as he spoke, "…the old man, the idiots in the guild, the entire town of Magnolia…" She knew she had not imagined the break in his speech the second time, "…should just be wiped out of existence!"

Lucy's eyes widened. He could not be serious! Despite his actions, she could not believe he would, or could, really believe such a thing. As if to prove her wrong, Laxus fell into a stance Lucy did not recognize. Magic began to gather around him as a light formed in his hands, spiraling out like a windmill. She knew that whatever he was planning was not going to be good.

"Fairy Law!" Levi gasped, suddenly abandoning Lucy to fall against the door frame (or what was left of it) and dashed inside the Cathedral. Lucy wished she could go, but she'd gone as far as she could.

"Stop it, Laxus!" Levi screamed, stumbling and catching herself on one of the few remaining pillars. Natsu and Gajeel turned to look at her, surprise evident in their features. Laxus barely spared her a glance, not even noticing Lucy behind her.

"Idiot…What are you doing here?" The Iron Dragon Slayer growled roughly from his spot in the dirt. Lucy noticed Levi's shaking hands and knew she was afraid, but not of anyone in the room. She felt tears leak from her eyes, amazing her that she had any left.

Levi swallowed deeply, looking at Gajeel for a moment, before saying what she'd come to say, even though she wished with all her heart that it was not true.

"The Master…" she started, "…your grandfather…is close to death!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Laxus was surprised; his whole body stiffened as his eyes widened. He'd never put much thought into the old man's age, though he was powerful, not even the great Markov could escape time. "So please! Stop!" Levi continued, but there was no need for her to; he already knew what she was going to say. There was a time when he respected his grandfather, adored him even, but now all he saw when he looked at the wrinkled old man was just a husk of what he once was and a man who cared more for a bunch of weaklings more than his own flesh and blood. He called them him 'children' and treated them as such, while not hesitating to banish his own son. Laxus knew his father was scum, he'd figured it out a long time ago, but Markov had crushed his beliefs on loyalty. He turned his back on his family and Laxus couldn't even see why; the guild was so weak. They were not worth it, and if they still won in the end, then the 'bond' between him and his grandfather might as well have never existed.

"Go and see him!" Levi sobbed, pleading. The two Dragon Slayers before him were obviously speechless as they processed the shocking news, but Laxus found himself thinking how he would prove to his grandfather that he was better than the useless weaklings; he was stronger than all of them combined…and he would show him by wiping out the entire town in one move. He'd start again with a new guild…one that was so powerful that it would forever be the world's strongest.

With that thought, Laxus invoked Fairy Law.

As his hands came together, he heard Lucy call his name. Her voice was small and fragile, but he reacted instantly. Light exploded as his gaze shot to Levi, then to the figure behind her. The girl's eyes were wide as tears slid down her cheeks, her hair blowing about her shoulders. She was filthy and bruised, covered in cuts, and on her face held a pained expression; she felt betrayed.

He was not sure what happened after that, but when he could see again, he found himself utterly astonished to discover no one was harmed at all…but how could that be?

"Why…why is nobody dead?" He looked from Natsu and Gajeel on the ground, to Levi clutching the pillar, and Lucy leaning weakly against the doorway. They looked just as stunned as him as they glanced around checking on each other.

Lucy panted as her heart continued its rapid pace; she'd really thought it was over for a second there. Why was everyone fine though? Did Laxus have a change of heart last minute? The twist in her stomach lightened a little at the idea, but not for long.

"What the hell's going on? That much magic…there should be no way…" Laxus didn't look very good; he was breathing heavily and his eyes were bloodshot. Lucy wasn't that surprised though when she considered how much magic he'd used. Her magic was already on dry after a single fight while he'd not only cast a number of high level spells, but also battled Erza, Natsu and Gajeel, maybe even more. Yet he was still strong enough to stand without problems. He was either amazing…or a monster.

"The members of the guild…" a male voice said from directly behind her and Lucy squealed and jumped, turning to see who snuck up on her, but lost her balance and fell over into an unseemly heap on what was left of the tiled floor. The man had long green hair with two strands that stuck up like antenna. His clothes were torn and he was obviously hurt, as he too was huffing and puffing wile clutching his arm. When she began to fall, he reached out as if to catch her, but he was too wounded to do so fast enough. Once she was down, he blinked at her for a second before looking at Laxus to repeat his earlier words. "The members of the guild and all of the townspeople are fine. No one has died." Lucy recognized his voice the second time he spoke; it was one of the guys working for Laxus. If the other guy was Bickslow and the woman was Evergreen, then this guy was Freed. That was the third name, right?

"There's no way! My Fairy Law spell was perfect!" Laxus yelled. He'd gotten over his shock enough to be angry. Why was everything against him? He was so strong yet he still could not win.

"Not the spell, your 'heart'…Laxus." Freed replied collapsing against the same spot in the doorway where Lucy had been until she'd fallen over. His expression softened slightly. "What you inherited from the Master wasn't limited to strength and magic power…but also a heart that holds his comrades dear." Lucy couldn't help by think that Laxus sure fooled everyone if it was true, but at the same time felt her (still aching) muscles relax. "Fairy Law only affects the people who the caster considers a true enemy." Freed continued. Levi picked up on what he was saying faster than the others.

"The magic saw deep inside his heart…" She all but whispered so Lucy only barely heard her.

Freed smiled as he said, "Magic cannot lie, Laxus. It means that's your true self."

In the next second, Lucy saw something in Laxus begin to shatter. She was once more struck with the notion that something he'd buried deep within himself was surfacing after years of being suppressed. She doubted the man's reaction was what Freed had been expecting. His fists tightened so blood dripped between his fingers and the crazed look in his eyes intensified, but as if he was grasping for something within himself to grab a hold of. He suddenly didn't look confident at all, but he quickly replaced it with a look of anger.

"No! Anybody who stands in my way is my enemy! All of them!" The Lightening mage snapped. Freed looked startled by Laxus, but somehow forced his voice to remain calm as he spoke.

"Oh, stop it, Laxus. Go see the Master." He said, but only seemed to anger Laxus more.

"I don't give a damn about the old man!" _Because the old man didn't care about me_. "I am myself! I ain't the old man's grandson! I'm Laxus! I am Laxus!" _Dad was an asshole and_ _Grandpa was weak. _

"Yeah, everybody knows that." Natsu's voice seemed to echo forever as he stumbled to his feet. "Don't get so puffed up you ass! You think bein' the old man's grandson makes you so different?! Makes you so much better?!" _How could any of the idiots understand_? "Don't go struttin' around just because of some stupid blood link! It's the guild! That's our family!" Natsu shouted and Laxus glared.

"What would you know of it?!" Laxus growled. Lucy could only stare as he seemed to come alive again, as if Natsu getting up prevented him from breaking.

"I don't know! Does that mean that we're not on the same side?!" Natsu roared. _Only power matters because without it you must rely on someone else. _"We don't know! That's why we lend each other a hand, right Laxus?!" The Fire Dragon Slayer charged forward, fist raised and engulfed in flames as the Lightening mage rushed to meet him with a powered fist of his own.

"Shut up, Natsu!" The two clashed and their powers, as drained as they were, exploded around them. Laxus' eyes narrowed at the boy.

_I don't ever want to depend on another again. Ever._


End file.
